Codename: FAMILY
by VerMa
Summary: Mystery Inc. now consists of a married couple, a widower and a single mother. Two kids, Marty and Rose - helped by their friends: Jenny, Chris and Scooby and with major support from a certain Mrs. Jones - try to get their single parents marry each other. Will they succeed? Rated as T because of a plan to take a difficult topic.
1. Two hearts together and one broken

**Hello,**

**What you see down there, is the first chapter of a new story. I was going to put this in AU (that is not to connect it either to the canon or to my two previous stories) but ... I'm not sure if I succeed. :P Anyway, I'd like to point out (or repeat - depends on whether or not you've seen my profile) that this story is NOT connected to "Those meddling kids."**

**I finish the introduction now, before I start babbling about the plot. ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**VerMa**

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><p>It was a wonderful wedding. The bride, a gorgeous blonde with long curls, in her snow-white dress looked like a princess; the groom didn't leave her side, looking at her with enamored eyes and almost incessantly whispering in her ear some sweet nothings; the best man and his (married just six months earlier) wife took over the dance floor.<p>

Into this symphony of merriment, one false tone had crept, however. A rather short, dark-haired girl in glasses for over an hour had been standing on the balcony and crying, but not with joy. Since she had her back to the door, she got scared when she'd felt a hand on her shoulder. Having turned around, she saw her sister.

"I've been looking for you everywhere" she heard. "Do you want to catch a cold or... wait, are you crying? Why? What happened?"

"I can't stand it" the weeping girl confessed. "I know he's my friend, she's very nice, they're in love and I should be happy for them, but I can't... I can't pretend the joy of the fact that he got married... I think my heart will break of despair..."

"Listen" her sister looked into her eyes "I know that you love him and that you really suffer but you can't help it that he fell in love with another girl and married her."

"You don't have to remind me! I know it all too well! But why everyone around me is happily in love, and I'm still alone?! What's wrong with me?!"

"Shh... calm down... One day you also will find your prince charming, you'll see..."

"Don't you understand?! The only man I've ever loved just got married! My life has no sense now! I want to die!"

"Oh, my... Now, it's hysteria..." the calmer of the sisters muttered. "You know, I think it will be better if you cry somewhere cozier. Come on, I'll drive you home."

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><p><strong>There, you have a new guessing game - who got married (and to whom)? As for the identity of the girl in love - there are only two options so it'll be a bit easier. :D<strong>

**Now excuse me - I have to get back to work on the second chapter. :)**

**AH-HA! Feedback will be welcome (as usual).**

**VM**


	2. A new generation

**Hi,**

**Here's the second chapter; we meet here three old friends and four new ones. You want to know the details? Read it yourselves!**

**Enjoy!**

**VerMa**

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><p>It was a bit cloudy, September day. In front of the Coolsville Elementary School stood eight-year-old Rose, a petite blonde with long curls and light brown eyes, squeezing the hand of her dad, who in her eyes was so tall that he could touch the sky.<p>

"Daddy..." she began pleadingly.

"Yes, pumpkin?"

"Daddy, I really can't go back to my old school?"

"No, my little flower, it's impossible. Plymouth is too far away for you to still go to school there."

"Can't I live with Granny and Grandpa or Aunt Giggie and Uncle Will?"

"You really want to part with me?" the man asked softly.

"I don't" the girl clung to him for dear life. "But I miss Granny, Grandpa, Auntie, Uncle and my friends."

"We'll go to them for Christmas" Dad promised her. "Now off you go or in a moment, we both will be late" he added, crouching down by her and kissing her nose.

"I love you" Rose declared, wrapping her arms around the neck of her father.

"I know it" he replied, stroking her hair. "I love you too, sweetheart. But now let me go; I have to go to work and you to school."

The girl walked away a few steps, then ran back to her father and gripped his hand.

"Daddy, what if the other kids don't like me?" she asked, worried.

"Don't worry ahead, honey. Everything will be fine, you'll see" Dad assured her. "Well, now go."

Rose clung to him one last time and ran towards the school. At the door, she glanced back but Dad was no longer there. Thus, she swallowed nervously and slipped into the building. Almost at the same moment, the bell announced the beginning of the lesson – and the kid realized that she didn't have a chance to get to the right room on her own. No wonder that upon seeing a girl with long, dark brown braids, she ran up to her and grabbed her elbow.

"What is it?" the brunette was surprised. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so" Rose admitted. "My name's Rose and..."

"Wait, let me guess. You're new?"

"Uh... yes. How did you know?"

"First, you're terrified like a first grader, but you certainly aren't six. Second, I know almost everyone in the school, but I've never seen you" the girl with braids explained. "I'm Jenny. Jenny Clark. Where do you have lessons now?"

Rose handed her a piece of paper with the timetable.

"English with Mrs. Graham..." Jenny muttered. "You're lucky; we're in the same course. Come on, I'll take you there" she added, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her down the corridor. "Just hurry up so SHE doesn't arrive there before us or we'll be in for it at least until Christmas."

This time, the girls were lucky – the teacher wasn't in the classroom. Instead, there were many kids, including a red-haired boy who jumped up from his seat and waved to Jenny.

"Hi, Jen!" he cried out.

"Hey, Chris!" Jenny shouted back, waving to the redhead.

"Who is it?" Rose asked.

"My friend. Come on" Jenny grabbed her hand and pulled towards Chris. "I don't think you've met. This is my best pal, Chris Jones. And this is Rose... Rose... uh... sorry, Rose, I forgot to ask you about your last name..."

"Rogers. Rose Rogers."

"Are you new?" Chris guessed.

"How do you know?" Rose was beginning to suspect that she was in a school for clairvoyants.

"Easy" Chris shrugged slightly. "Jen and I know almost the whole school, but I see you for the first time in my life. Where are you from?"

"From Plymouth."

"The one in the UK?" Jenny asked.

"No. In Massachusetts."

x

A few hours later, during the long break:

"Why are we going so far?" Rose asked, surprised. "Next to that red-haired girl were many empty seats."

"Yes, but it's Violet Herring" Chris replied.

"So...?" Rose didn't understand a thing.

"Chris, she doesn't know the Herrings" Jenny remarked.

"Right" Chris realized. "Well, Violet isn't bad but her big brother, Ricky, called 'Bruise', is simply nasty. And he has equally nasty friends."

"'Bruise'?" Rose was surprised. "Why does he have such a strange nickname?"

"Because he often starts fights and leaves a lot of bruises" Jenny explained, looking around. "Oh, where is he? He was to keep us a seat!" she huffed in frustration.

"Who are you talking about?" Rose became curious.

"Him" Chris explained, with a slight movement of his head pointing to a lean, dark-haired boy, sitting at one of the nearby tables.

"Hey, kids!" the skinny boy waved to Jenny and Chris.

"Look at the adult one!" Chris took offense. "You're only a year older than we are!"

"Chill out. I was just kidding" the other boy chuckled. "Oh! Have you and Chris started adopting the first graders, Jenny?" he asked, noticing Rose.

"Shut up, Martin" Jenny hissed.

"Okay, don't be mad" Martin lightly ruffled her hair. "Are you going to introduce us or not?"

"Oh, fine" Jenny tidied her hair. "This is Rose Rogers. She moved in here from Plymouth, Massachusetts. And this lame joker is my cousin, Martin Dinkley" she added, pointing to the black-haired boy.

"Call me Marty. Nice to meet you" Marty grinned to Rose. "Well, now sit down; it's time to eat something" he added, pulling a sandwich out of his backpack and thrusting his teeth in it.

The other three immediately followed his lead.

"This looks very tasty" Chris remarked upon seeing the sandwich held by Rose. "What's inside?"

"Just usual things" the girl replied. "Ham, lettuce, egg, mustard, cherry jam..." at this point, she realized that Jenny and the boys looked disgusted. "Why are you looking at me so weirdly?"

"Uh... no offense, but I don't think it's very normal food..." Jenny said carefully.

"Why?" Rose was surprised. "My daddy always makes such sandwiches."

"You know..." Chris said, trying not to look at her sandwich "I think my dad would be sick after eating something like this."

"Mine, too" Jenny's face turned slightly green.

"What about your dad, Marty?" Rose asked.

"I don't have a dad. My father left my mom before I was born" Marty snapped.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know..." Rose felt ashamed.

"It's okay" Marty waved his hand. "Not everyone is as lucky as you to have both Mom and Dad..."

"Who told you that I have both parents?" Rose looked him straight in the eyes. "My mom died shortly after I was born. I know her only from pictures and Dad's stories" she added softly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you" Marty muttered in embarrassment. "But anyway, you're better off than I am. My father didn't marry my mom so almost everyone at school is teasing me..."

"Was teasing" Jenny corrected. "Since Uncle Fred taught him to fight, even Bruise doesn't mess with Marty anymore" she explained.

x

After classes, by the school stopped an elegant, dark purple car, out of which stepped a tall, slim, red-haired woman with a pretty face.

"Chris! Jenny! Marty!" she called out, waving to the children.

"It's my mom" said Chris, grabbing his backpack. "We have to go."

Jenny, who still was telling something to Rose, hadn't heard it so Marty grabbed her wrist and pulled.

"Come on now, you chatterbox!" he commanded impatiently.

"Oh! I see you have a new friend" Chris's mom said, noticing Rose. "What's your name?"

"Rose. Rose Rogers."

"Rogers?" the woman repeated and looked at the girl a little more carefully.

"Y-yes..." Rose stammered. "Is it bad?"

"No" Mrs. Jones smiled at her and stroked her blond hair. "I've just remembered my old buddy; his last name was the same as yours. Oh, well, time for us to go. Jenny, boys, hop in the car. Rose, should I drive you back home?"

"You don't have to. My daddy will come soon."

"See you, Rose!" Marty, Jenny and Chris turned around to wave to their friend and got into the car.

"See you."

About five minutes later, by the school showed up Mr. Rogers, a quite handsome, tall, light-brown-haired man in his thirties. Upon seeing him, Rose squealed happily and clung to him.

"Hey, baby" the man picked up his daughter and kissed her forehead. "How was it in the new school?" he asked, putting the girl back on the ground, taking her hand and starting to walk towards the house.

"Very cool. At first, I got lost, but one girl, Jenny, helped me and it turned out we're in the same course" Rose replied, bouncing happily by her father. "And then, I met Chris and Marty. Marty is Jenny's cousin, but they don't look too much alike, and Chris is their friend. And then, before you've come for me, Chris's mom came; she's very nice and pretty, and has red hair."

x

That evening, when Chris and his two-year-old brother, Jerry, were asleep:

"Are you sure it was HIS daughter?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Freddy" Mrs. Jones looked her husband straight in the eye "have ever I said I was sure of something, when I wasn't sure at all?"

"Never. All I'm saying is that there's a lot of Rogerses; it's a popular name, after all."

"And how many Rogerses do you know personally?"

"Six."

"Don't count women."

"Oh. In that case, three."

"How many of them have hazel eyes?"

"What?"

"Light brown. Well, how many Messrs. Rogers with such eyes do you know?"

"Two. Shaggy and his dad."

"Which one of them could now have an eight-year-old daughter?"

"Shaggy."

"See? Shaggy and his family came back to Coolsville. The only question is why."

"Who knows? I just hope that SHE won't get depressed when she sees him with his wife... assuming that it's not just a coincidence."

"Do you have an idea how to check it?"

"Of course I do."

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><p><strong>The explanation of who SHE is, must wait for the next chapter. :)<strong>

**Special congratulations go to Book girl fan who guessed the groom's identity. :D**

**Feedback will be welcome.**

**Regards,**

**VM.**


	3. Explaining and scheming

**Welcome, readers,**

**I've just noticed that**** it's been (almost) a month since**** the upload of chapter 2... so it's a good thing I've managed to write another one. ;)**

**And now, without further ado - enjoy!**

**Regards,**

**VerMa.**

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><p>"Invite her?" the surprised Chris repeated. "How will I do that?"<p>

"Simply" his dad gave a little shrug. "Just like you invite Jenny and Marty."

"But, Dad, I know her only since yesterday!"

"Good point" Mrs. Jones interrupted. "It's not a good idea, Freddy. This kid could get scared and break the contact with Chris, Marty and Jenny."

"I hadn't thought about it" the embarrassed Mr. Jones admitted. "I'd forgotten what it's like when you enter a completely new environment... In that case, we'll do another thing. Try to find out if Rose has a dog. Just make sure that Jenny and Marty don't hear you."

"Way to go, Fred" his wife praised him. "If you want, you can be brilliant" she added, trying to hide a chuckle.

"I don't understand" Chris said worriedly. "Why should I ask Rose if she has a dog? And why it must be a secret from Jen and Marty?"

"Let's just say that Dad and I are investigating" his mom replied.

"I'd not put it better, Daph" Mr. Jones kissed his wife's cheek. "Well, son, will you be our agent for special tasks?"

"Sure!" the boy's eyes lit up with joy. "And, Dad, can we go spy on the Mole Men later?"

"Sure thing" the man promised.

"Fre-ed!" Mrs. Daphne Jones groaned. "It's not even funny! I thought you'd long since stopped believing in this nonsense!"

"I'm not saying I believe in it" Fred lowered his voice to a whisper so their son wouldn't hear. "I'm just trying to find evidence proving your theory... but so far, I have nothing."

x

"Why must I go alone to school?" Rose asked with sorrow. "I thought you'd walk me there."

"I can't do it, sweetie, or you'll stick to me for half an hour again and we both will be late again" her dad explained. "Yesterday, my boss screamed at me really loud and I don't want it to repeat today."

"But I'm afraid to go alone" the girl already had tears in her eyes. "What if I get lost?"

"Take Scooby. With him, you'll be safe and you certainly won't get lost."

"Really?"

"Yes. Scooby knows Coolsville very well."

"Rou rere ralking rabout re, Raggy?" Scooby, lying on the pillow near the kitchen door, lazily opened his eyes. (_Tr.: You were talking about me, Shaggy?_)

"Get moving, old man, it's time to go to school" the man laughed. "Make sure that Rose isn't late and don't let people know you can talk."

"Rure ring" the dog stood up and slightly stretched. (_Tr.: Sure thing._)

"Well, I must go. Bye, baby" Mr. Rogers leaned over and kissed his daughter's forehead. "I'll come to get you after classes."

x

This afternoon in the Joneses' house:

"Are you sure it was a big, brown, spotted dog with a blue collar?" Mrs. Daphne Jones looked into her elder son's eyes.

"Yes" Chris replied in a slightly bored voice. "I told you this ten times or so."

"Where were these spots and in what color?" his dad wanted to know.

"They were black; one large on the back and two small at the top of each front leg."

Mr. and Mrs. Jones exchanged glances.

"Scooby" they said simultaneously.

"What Scooby?" Chris asked, puzzled.

His dad walked over to one of the shelves and soon handed him a picture of six young people and a dog.

"THIS Scooby" he explained, tapping on the pet's image.

"Wait" the boy frowned "this redhead girl looks familiar..."

"Because it's me, baby" his mom spoke, unsuccessfully trying to hide her amusement.

"Then next to you is Dad, it's sure" Chris guessed. "These two girls wearing glasses must be Aunt Madelyn and Aunt Velma... and this tall boy?"

"This is Rose's dad" said Mr. Jones.

"And the girl next to him is his sister" his wife added.

"So you and Aunt Madelyn, and Aunt Velma... you all know Mr. Rogers?" Chris's eyes widened.

His parents just nodded.

"But... but why you've never even talked about him? You had a fight with him?"

"No. It's a bit more complicated and a lot more delicate than you think" Mrs. Jones replied. "That's why we want Rose to come here."

"Chill, Mom, I'll think of something" Chris promised.

"That's my boy" his dad said proudly, patting his shoulder.

x

"So you're saying that your new friend has a dog, right?" Mr. Clark repeated.

"Uh-huh" Jenny nodded. "He's big and brown, and has black spots, and his name's Scooby, and Rose says he's always been in their house, and..."

"Wait a second" her mom interrupted her "you said this dog is called Scooby?"

"Yeah" the girl confirmed. "Funny name, isn't it?"

"Yes, funny" the woman replied. "You know what, you'll tell us more about Scooby later. Now go do your homework."

"Do I have to?" the girl moaned, looking pleadingly at her father.

"Yes, you do. Mom said so, so you have to" the man answered.

When the door closed behind the sullen Jenny, Mrs. Clark said:

"Joey, we need to talk."

"I've figured it" her husband admitted. "What is it?"

"Do you remember the wedding to which I took you ten years ago?"

"You mean Fred and Daphne's wedding?"

"No, they'll have their ELEVENTH anniversary next month. I mean the one that was half a year later. The wedding of Norville Rogers, called Shaggy, and Mary Jane Carlin."

"Ah, yes. Your sister got hysteric because she was in love with the groom. I remember that we drove her home... and then, for a few weeks, I had hearing problems because her crying had damaged my eardrums. So why are you coming back to this?"

"Because Shaggy and his family came back to Coolsville."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Shaggy had a dog, Scooby; he was big and brown and had distinctive black spots, just like the one described by Jenny."

"Well, okay... but why is it important that they're back?"

"Don't you understand? If Velma still loves him, then we can't know what will come to her mind when she sees him with his wife, daughter and dog. I wouldn't want her to do in despair the same thing she did ten years ago, and I can bet that Mom and Dad wouldn't want it, too. We must prevent their meeting, at least until we can explain why the Rogerses came back after ten years."

"Considering that Velma usually spends more than twelve hours at work, it's not going to be difficult" Joe remarked.

"It doesn't mean that she lost her former intelligence" his wife informed him. "Even if she doesn't find out more than what Jenny has told us, she definitely will associate the facts instantly and there goes the depression... I need to talk about it with Daphne."

"But, Maddie, honey, do you really think there's a point of getting her involved in this?"

"If it's about Velma, I can't imagine asking for help anyone other than Daphne and Fred" Madelyn replied seriously.

x

"Yes, we know they're back" Daphne said, pressing the handset to her ear. "I saw the kid; she looks a lot like her mother, but the nose and eyes she got after Shaggy... Okay, I admit, we should have let you know, but we'd wanted to be sure first. And actually how did you...? Oh, Jenny saw Scooby. Listen, do you think that Marty saw him, too...? Oh, jeepers... In that case, I hope he hasn't yet had time to tell Velma... Oh, that's fortunate; I think it's the first time that I'm delighted that she took the night shift... Yeah, it's necessary; does Velma work tomorrow afternoon...? Well, it's better than nothing; take Jenny and Marty and come to us around five o'clock. Chris promised to invite Rose... What do you mean 'why'? You don't think that Shaggy and Mary Jane won't bump into Velma, sooner or later...? Exactly; we must figure out how to prepare them for the meeting so that the shock isn't too big."

x

The next day, as promised, Chris walked up to Rose and said nonchalantly:

"Maybe you'd drop by my house this afternoon?"

"Why?" the girl asked, looking at him with surprise.

"My parents want to know you better" the boy replied. "Don't be afraid; Jen and Marty will be there, too" he added encouragingly.

"I'm not afraid" Rose answered proudly. "I just don't know if Daddy will let me walk alone around Coolsville, since we live here only since a few days."

"Still, yesterday, he somehow let you go alone to school" Chris remarked.

"Not alone, but with Scooby" the girl rectified. "Daddy said that Scooby knows Coolsville very well..."

"Then come with Scooby. Jerry will be glad."

"Who is Jerry?"

"My brother" Chris explained. "He's two years old and has blond hair. Mom makes a fuss over him and says he's her little angel..."

"You have a little brother?" Rose interrupted him. "Why didn't you say?"

"Because there's nothing to brag about. He's a walking machine of destruction. He already smashed five of my cars and two of my airplanes" the boy complained.

Rose, however, wasn't listening to him.

"You're lucky; I only have a cousin, Lily. I bet that Jerry is cute, isn't he? He has to be cute; I've seen a lot of pictures of small children and they all were cute" she rattled off in one breath. "At what time can I come to see him?"

"Uh..." Chris, surprised by her logorrhea, lost the thread for a moment. "I'll come to get you before five" he said at last.

x

"Remember, Scoob, you and Rose have to be home by eight" Shaggy Rogers seriously looked into his dog's eyes. "Otherwise, you won't leave the house in the evening for a whole week."

"Ron't rorry, Raggy" Scooby reassured him. "Rit rill re rine." (_Tr.: Don't worry, Shaggy. It will be fine._)

"Oh, there's Chris already!" Rose said joyfully, glancing out the window. "Come on, Scooby" she added and gently tugged the leash. "Bye, Daddy!" she called out before the door closed behind her and Scooby.

"Hi, Rose. Hi, Scooby" Chris said, timidly reaching to the dog's head. "Can I pet him?" he made sure.

"Sure. Scooby is as gentle as a lamb. If he wasn't, Daddy wouldn't let me walk alone with him" the girl replied. "He likes you" she remarked when the dog licked the boy's face.

"Do you think he'll occupy Jerry enough to keep him from breaking another one of my toys?" Chris asked with hope.

"We'll see" Rose grinned. "First, we must go to your house."

"Right" the boy laughed, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Let's go."

About ten minutes later, the children and the dog were in front of a small, cozy-looking, two-level house, the walls of which were covered with pale blue wooden panels. Scooby was almost sure that he once had been in this place, but he couldn't tell it to his little lady, because he'd promised Shaggy he wouldn't let anyone know he could speak.

When they went inside, Chris shouted:

"Mom! Dad! Here we are!"

Suddenly, there was a patter of two little feet and a joyful squeal "Kliss!" – and a moment later, to the boy clung his little brother. Using this temporary commotion, Scooby looked around the hall, dominated by a woman's high-heeled shoes and handbags. This gave him a clue on the identity of the house's owners, but it was only upon seeing an ascot, hanging proudly on one wall, that he got absolute certainty. He really wasn't surprised when from the adjoining room emerged a broad-shouldered man and an elegant woman who said his name tenderly and hugged him.

Rose watched the scene with her eyes wide with amazement; it increased even more when a dark-haired woman in glasses peered into the hallway and rushed to hug Scooby.

"What's going on?" the girl asked finally.

Jenny and Marty, who in the meantime had come to say hello to her, shrugged, which meant they were the last people who'd know it. In contrast, Chris's parents and the lady with glasses looked at her and smiled without a word. Oddly enough, so did a red-haired man, leaning against a wall a bit in the back of the hallway.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Rose inquired.

"Probably because we know your dad" said Mr. Jones.

"What?" Rose, Jenny and Marty cried out simultaneously.

"We'll explain everything to you, but not here" Mrs. Jones promised, picking up the little Jerry. "Let's go to the living room."

x

"I know this photo" Rose said, pointing to an old photograph of Mystery Inc. "Aunt Maggie has the same. She said that this boy and these three girls are old friends of her and Daddy."

"And she wasn't wrong" Mrs. Jones handed her the photo and sat down next to her. "This red-haired girl is me; here's my husband, here's Madelyn, I mean Mrs. Clark..."

"Who?" the girl didn't understand.

"My mom" said Jenny, clinging to the dark-haired woman who slightly waved to Rose.

"So, the other girl with glasses is probably Marty's mom, right?"

"Yes. Her name is Velma. She and your dad once were good friends but... hmmm... lost touch with each other when your parents got married and left" Mr. Jones explained.

"We also had no news from them since you were born" his wife added quickly, giving him a warning look. "How's your mom?"

Chris jumped up like stung and began frantically shaking his head as if he wanted to remove the question that his mom had posed. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"She died right after I was born" Rose said softly. "Daddy said that she'd been very sick."

"I'm sorry, honey" Daphne hugged the girl, stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"So this is the big secret that I couldn't tell Mom?" Marty asked suddenly. "Only that Rose is the daughter of your old friend? Come on, Aunt Daph, this is... this is... how Mom puts it... I know! Ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous" Mr. Jones cut in. "You see, kids, Marty's mom and Shaggy... I mean Mr. Rogers, Rose's dad ... they were very close friends. Scooby can confirm it, right, Scooby?"

"Res!" said the dog and then immediately slapped his snout with his paw, because he realized that he'd broken the promise given to Shaggy. On the other hand, he was among friends, so the risk of him being kidnapped by a circus was negligible.

"When Mr. Rogers got married and left, Velma... I mean Marty's mom... really missed him and often cried" Mrs. Clark added.

"More like almost went nuts from despair" her husband muttered so softly that only Scooby heard him.

"If she missed Daddy, why she never came to see us?" Rose was surprised.

"Because in the meantime, Marty was born" Mrs. Jones explained. "When a baby comes into the world, you have to take care of him or her day and night, and it's not easy. Besides, I think that Velma was a little ashamed..."

"She was ashamed of... me?" Marty stammered in shock.

"Not of you, sunshine" Aunt Madelyn reassured him "but of the fact that your father had disappeared without a trace."

"That's why she asked us not to contact Norville" Mr. Clark added.

"And that's what we did" Mrs. Jones sighed "or maybe I should have said: _we didn't_" she said after a moment of thought.

"I still don't understand why this all is a secret from my dad" Rose stated.

"And from Aunt Velma" Jenny added. "If they were friends, they sure will be delighted when they meet."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" Chris's dad spoke. "There's no point in hiding it any longer from you: Velma... Aunt Velma loved Shaggy... Mr. Rogers, but he didn't know it. I can bet that if they meet suddenly, she'll panic and run away. And that means that we must prepare them for this somehow."

"How?" the four older children asked in unison.

"First of all, Velma must like Rose and Shaggy must like Marty. And this is a task for you, kids."

"Fred, do you really think that Shaggy and Velma won't catch on it all when Marty and Rose introduce themselves with their real names?" Mrs. Clark was amazed.

"I forgot about that" said Mr. Jones with disarming sincerity. "But don't worry, I know how we'll do this. Marty will use his father's name, Spencer, and Rose... hmm... Rose, what do you say of the name Smith?"

Before Rose could say anything, there was a slight screech of brakes outside. Mrs. Daphne Jones looked out the window and paled a bit.

"It's Velma" she said. "Scooby, I know you'd like to say hello to her but you have to hide; if she sees you here, our whole plan will go haywire."

"Roo rad" the dog sighed, getting up from the floor. (_Tr.: Too bad._)

"Come on, old pal" Fred went into the kitchen and opened the door leading to the garden. "Wait here; when Velma goes out, I'll drive you and Rose back home" after these words, the man closed the door.

After a moment, the doorbell rang.

"I'm coming!" Mr. Jones shouted.

Soon after, the lock's click and a gentle creak of the door were heard.

"Hi, Fred" spoke a warm, but a bit sad, female voice.

"Hi, Vel" Chris's dad replied. "Please go to the living room... but first, give me your jacket."

At this point, Marty jumped up from the couch, on which he was sitting with his aunt and cousin, and ran out into the hall. Rose wasn't able to stop her curiosity, so she followed him. Although she didn't dare go beyond the threshold of the room, she still saw the boy throw his arms around the neck of a not very tall woman with rather short, dark hair.

"Hi, Mom" he murmured.

"Hi, bunny" the woman kissed his forehead and stroked his cheek.

Rose giggled. "Bunny"? Such a nickname for a boy seemed terribly childish. Marty was apparently of the same opinion because he blushed up to his ears.

"Mom" he moaned "I'm no longer two years old!"

"When did this time fly by?" his mom sighed. "Oh! Who's that?" she asked in astonishment, having seen Rose, curiously peering into the hallway.

The girl hastily withdrew her head. She was embarrassed that she'd been caught peeping. Actually, she'd love to get swallowed by the ground but this was not possible; thus, she decided to hide behind one of the couches. She was about to do so, when a soft, warm hand closed on her wrist.

"I... I didn't mean to eavesdrop... I know it's rude..." Rose tried to explain, staring at the floor. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, nothing bad happened" said the same warm voice that she'd heard before. "What's your name?"

"Rose" the girl replied.

"It's lovely" she heard.

Having looked up, she met the gaze of two dark brown eyes, sheltered with thick-lensed glasses of thin, oval frames. The eyes belonged to a young, smiling woman with a pale, round, freckled face and dark brown hair, reaching to the middle of her neck. To Marty's mom who – interestingly enough – must have been one of those who could arouse trust with their smile, because Rose immediately wanted to cling to her. However, she was forestalled by Jenny and Chris, who soon were drawn away by their fathers.

"You don't look good, Velma" Mrs. Jones remarked, moving into the corner of the couch. "Sit down and tell us what's going on. Trouble at work?"

Velma shook her head slightly and discreetly pointed to her son, hinting that she didn't want to talk about her problems in his presence.

"Actually, I came just to get Marty" she said, smiling timidly.

"Already?" the boy moaned.

"We haven't spent too much time together lately, so I wanted to make up for it somehow" his mom replied. "How about a movie night?"

"With popcorn?" Marty inquired.

"I think it's quite possible."

Having heard these words, the boy grabbed his mother's hand and pulled her toward the front door.

"Bye, everyone!" he shouted and ran outside, chased by his mom, who in one hand held his jacket, and with the other one tried to get dressed.

"She'll spoil him rotten one day" Mrs. Clark sighed, shaking her head. "Oh well, seems that someone, however, will have to catch, hold and dress him so he wouldn't get ill... and apparently, this someone will be me" she added after a moment.

* * *

><p><strong>PS - Reviews will be greatly appreciated! ;)<strong>

**VM**


	4. Operation: Reunion

**Hi everyone,**

**I've been absent for a bit, huh? You must, however, believe me that I wasn't slacking. :D**

**And now – feel welcome to read!**

**VerMa**

* * *

><p>Two days later, on Saturday, Marty, Jenny and Chris showed up in the Rogerses' house under the excuse of playing with Rose and Scooby. In fact, however, they wanted to finally meet the now legendary ancient friend of their parents'. Since it was the brunch time, they were treated to plum pie and cocoa with whipped cream.<p>

"You baked this pie just by yourself, mister?" Jenny asked.

"Yes" Mr. Rogers confirmed. "Rose and Scooby have extremely sweet tooth; I didn't want them to eat all of the plums" he added with a mischievous smile.

"Will you give me another piece?" his daughter slightly lifted her plate and smiled sweetly.

"For me, too, please!" Jenny and the boys spoke instantly.

Shaggy Rogers didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Do you work in a pastry shop?" Marty asked curiously after swallowing the extra piece of cake.

"For now, only in a hamburger bar" came the answer. "I once had a restaurant and now, I want to earn money for a new one."

"And what happened to the old one?" Chris inquired. Jenny kicked him under the table, but it was too late.

"I lost it" Mr. Rogers frowned for a second. "Well, my little flower, show your friends your room and play all together" he said, having shaken off his thoughts.

"Can we take Scooby?" Rose asked.

"Only if you don't try to put a dress on him."

"I won't" the girl promised.

x

"It's nice in here" said Marty when he and the rest of the team were in Rose's room. "You have a lot of space."

"You haven't seen my dad's room yet" the girl grinned. "He has in there plenty of old discs and comic books, and this funny lamp; Daddy calls it the lava lamp."

"You said something about comics?" Chris perked up.

"Yeah."

"What are they about?"

"Rarout Rommanrer Rool rand Rellow Rutt" Scooby spoke.

Jenny and the boys, who hadn't understood a word, looked pleadingly at Rose.

"About Commander Cool and Mellow Mutt, super heroes" the girl explained. "My Granny says Daddy's been collecting them since kindergarten. They're very cool: wicked thugs kidnap beautiful ladies or want to destroy the world, but suddenly Commander Cool and Mellow Mutt come and..."

"Do you have any dolls?" Jenny asked, not really interested by the comic talk.

"I haven't yet taken them out of the box after we moved" Rose smiled apologetically. "But we can play super heroes."

"Can I be Batman?" Marty jumped with excitement. "Please! He's great! He has the Batmobile and Batarangs, and he's very smart, and..."

"Hold it, I want to be Batman!" Chris protested.

"You can be Robin or a thug who kidnapped the girls and Scooby" Marty offered.

"I don't want to be a thug!" Chris stamped his foot.

"And I don't want to be kidnapped!" Jenny announced.

"Me neither!" Rose echoed. "And I want to be a hero!"

"So do I!" Jenny called out immediately.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Mr. Rogers asked, peering into the room.

"We wanted to play super heroes but nobody wants to be a thug or a hostage" Marty explained.

"Oh" the man didn't look surprised. Suddenly, he smiled wickedly and lifted Scooby. "I'm Dr. Broccoli! I'll make everyone in the world eat only broccoli! And even you, super heroes' team, won't stop me because I have your doggie! Hahaha!" he exclaimed, running out of the room.

"Get him!" Rose squealed, rushing in pursuit of her father. Jenny and the boys, without a second thought, followed her.

After a few minutes of chase, Dr. Broccoli was pinned to the couch, and the liberated Scooby licked the cheeks of all four of his rescuers.

"It's not easy to be a super thug these days" Mr. Rogers sighed with feigned sadness. "Well, super heroes' team, you deserve a reward. The only question is what would make you happy..."

"Can we come one day and play like that again?" Marty asked immediately.

"Sure thing. Drop by whenever you want, kids."

"And do you still have some of this plum pie?" Chris inquired.

"Why? Are you hungry?" Mr. Rogers grinned.

"No, but... but I'd like to take some home... for Mom and Dad..."

"As far as I know you, you'll eat everything yourself" Jenny muttered. "I swear that I'll eventually start calling you Puffy."

"Shut up" Chris snapped.

"Hey, hey, don't you argue" Marty decided to intervene. The last thing he needed was these two embarrassing themselves and him. "You're not at home. Apologize to Rose and her dad for your behavior, right now" he added sternly.

"I'm sorry" Jenny and Chris said simultaneously, dropping their heads meekly.

Rose's eyes widened. She never thought that Marty, the resident joker in their team, could be so adamant.

"Well done, buddy" Mr. Rogers patted Marty's shoulder. "Who taught you this?"

"My grandfather."

"Then you'll go give him a big piece of cake as congratulations for such a clever grandson" the man slightly ruffled the boy's black hair. "Chill out, there's enough for you, too" he added, noticing the worried glances of Chris and Jenny.

x

"Hi, Grandma" said Marty when the door of his grandparents' house had finally opened. "Is Grandpa home?"

"Right now, he's a bit busy, dear" Mrs. Dinkley replied, letting her grandson into the hall and discreetly making sure that the kitchen door was closed. "What happened?"

"I have some plum pie for him" the boy announced proudly.

"Where did you get it?" Grandma didn't hide the surprise.

"I was with Jenny and Chris in the house of our new friend, Rose; she has her own large room and a very nice dad. And, of course, at some point, Jenny and Chris almost had a fight, but I calmed them; and Rose's dad asked who'd taught me that, so I said it was Grandpa, and I got for him a large piece of plum pie, and... and you know, Grandma, I'll put it in the fridge."

Having said that, Marty quickly opened the kitchen door – and stopped short. Inside, there was his mom, weeping on his grandfather's shoulder. But before the boy was spotted, Grandma had taken his hand and led him to the living room.

"Wait here" she said.

"Why? What happened?"

"I think it will be best if your mom explains it to you herself. She should calm down soon."

Indeed – a few minutes later, the sobbing subsided. Marty glanced uncertainly at his grandmother; when she nodded, he ran to the kitchen and took his mom's hand.

"Mom... what's happening?" he asked shyly.

"We're in trouble, darling" Velma whispered, hugging her son tightly and hiding her face in his black hair. "I lost my job."

"How?" the boy was surprised. "You said your boss liked you!"

"Even being pals with the boss doesn't help when bankruptcy is involved "Mom said, looking into his gray eyes, which he'd inherited from his grandmother, and smiling sadly.

"What is bankruptcy?" Marty wanted to know.

"Ruin; a situation when there's no money left. Our motel had gone bankrupt, so the owner had to fire us all."

x

A few days later, Jenny called Rose, asking to take Scooby and come to her house as soon as possible.

"Why?" Rose was surprised.

"My mom says" Jenny lowered her voice "that she needs to talk to you, Scooby and Marty. It's about Aunt Velma and your dad."

"You think your aunt has already figured everything out?" Rose whispered.

"Not really; Marty and I know how to keep a secret."

"Then what happened?"

"My mom doesn't want to tell me too much, but it certainly isn't good news. So when will you come?"

"Depends on where you live" Rose remarked.

"29 Reagan Avenue."

x

"The situation is serious" Mr. Clark said, walking around the living room with his hands clasped behind.

"What happened?" Rose inquired.

"My mom lost her job" said Marty before any of the adults could speak.

"Oh! So that's why she's so upset lately?" Jenny exclaimed.

"Yes" her mom confirmed.

"But what does it have to do with our mission?" Chris asked.

"Well, for example, a few months ago, Aunt Velma had gotten a job offer outside of Coolsville" Mrs. Jones replied. "Back then, she'd rejected it, because she'd thought she'd work for a long time in this motel, but we don't know what she'll do now."

"And this is why" Mr. Jones cut in "we must immediately begin the second phase of our mission. I call it 'Operation: Reunion'."

"What this phase is about?" Marty asked hesitantly.

"Check this out, everyone" Mr. Jones unfolded the city park's plan, with a few marked spots, on a table. "We'll do this: Scooby and Rose will take Shaggy here and..."

x

"Way to go, honey, you're doing great" Shaggy said when his daughter had finally managed to throw the frisbee strongly enough to make it fall by his feet, not hers.

"Res, rou're raking rogress" Scooby agreed and approached his muzzle to his little lady's cheek. "Rarty ris rose" he said softly and, to hide this, he licked Rose's cheek. (Tr.: _Yes, you're making progress. Marty is close._)

"Okay. We start the 'Operation: Reunion'" the girl whispered back.

"Raggy, row ro re row!" Scooby walked over to his master and looked at him pleadingly. (Tr.: _Shaggy, throw to me now!_)

"Alright, but only once; remember that you're no longer a puppy" Shaggy replied. "Go fetch, boy!" he exclaimed, lightly tossing the disc.

Scooby caught the frisbee with his teeth, but instead of giving it to Rose or Shaggy, he began to run off.

"Scooby Doo, come back here, now!" Shaggy shouted, taking off after the dog.

Meanwhile, Marty came out of his hideout in the bushes and went up to Rose.

"For now, everything's going as planned" he said.

"Your mom doesn't suspect anything?" Rose asked.

"Of course not" Marty reassured her. "She didn't even notice when I disappeared, because Jenny had pulled her towards ice cream. Now, hop on" he added, pointing to the carrier of his bike "or we'll miss the best part."

x

'I'll demand five boxes of Scooby-snacks for this' Scooby thought, running towards the fountain, by which (according to Fred's plan) Jenny and the unsuspecting Velma were to wait.

Suddenly, someone grabbed him by the collar.

"Got you!" Shaggy exclaimed triumphantly, putting the dog on the leash. "Come on, old pal, we're going back to Rose."

Scooby, however, wasn't going to give up. He gathered all his strength – which he had little due to his age – and abruptly took off towards the fountain. Shaggy, who still held the leash, had no other choice but to follow him.

"What are you doing?" he shouted in surprise, trying to stop his pet. "What's gotten into you? Stop!"

All in vain – Scooby didn't pay attention to him. Soon, the man saw the fountain, by which stood a woman and a little girl. To make matters worse, the dog dashed straight at them, and the crash was now inevitable.

"Watch out!" Shaggy yelled and instinctively let go of the leash.

Then, Scooby made a sharp turn. His master was unable to stop; he ran into the woman and fell into the fountain with her.

After a moment, though, he got up and helped up the lady, while saying:

"I'm sorry, Miss, something must have possessed my dog; he hasn't acted like that since he was a puppy..." at this point, the woman looked him straight in the eye.

"Sh-Sha-Shaggy?" she stuttered.

"Velma!" Shaggy exclaimed.

* * *

><p><strong>PS – Of course, feel welcome to review, too. ;)<strong>

**VM**


	5. The results of a talk over hot chocolate

**Hello!**

**Welcome to chapter five, but by no means the last one. :) The original plan was to make it longer, but as I'm ****temporarily ****stuck at a certain point, I've decided to publish the part that I certainly won't change. It isn't short, anyway. :P**

**That said, I leave you, readers, alone with the fruit of nearly two months of my work. Bon appetit! ;)**

**VerMa**

* * *

><p>Marty and Rose still were quite far away when they saw their parents collide with each other and fall into the fountain.<p>

"I think this wasn't in the plan" said the girl.

"It's normal. Uncle Fred has cool ideas, but something has to backfire every time" the boy replied and stopped quite abruptly. "Jinkies, I forgot about Aunt Daph!" he exclaimed, slapping his forehead and turned right.

x

Saying that Velma was surprised when she fell into the water and then heard Shaggy's voice, would be an oversimplification. She was amazed, startled and embarrassed – in short, shocked. This annoyed her, because until that moment, she'd lived in the belief that she no longer had feelings for the man with whom she'd been in love, and who'd married another girl. But when his voice sounded in her ears, she shivered. When he took her hand to help her up, her heart began to beat faster. When she looked up and met his light brown eyes, she wasn't able to utter anything but a trembling "Sh-Sha-Shaggy?". And when he said her name, her knees went weak. The last fact didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Are you okay?" he asked with the same care that she remembered from the old days. The brotherly care. All in all, what else could she expect from him?

"Y-yes" she stammered, feeling herself blush like an insecure teenager. "And... and you?"

"Fine."

There was an awkward silence. Scooby, sitting a little aside and closely observing his friends, ran his paw down his muzzle.

'Oh, boy' he thought 'what a pair of chickens... They could just stand there until the evening, and neither would speak. Seems that they need a little help... and I even know what to do! This show will be worth another two boxes of Scooby-snacks!'

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Velma finally got out of the water. The next moment, Scooby jumped on Velma, pushed her back into the fountain and licked her face, happily wagging his tail.

"Hello, Scooby" the woman hugged the dog. "It's good to see you."

"Now stand back and behave yourself" Shaggy pulled Scooby back, offered his hand to Velma and, for the second time, helped her out to the dry land.

"Thank you" the woman said softly, looking down and blushing again "but you shouldn't have done it. Mary Jane may be jealous."

"I don't think so" the man replied sadly.

"How come?"

"It's kind of a long story. Maybe I'll tell you it somewhere cozier?"

"Why not? You can come to my place, I live nearby."

"Okay, wait a minute; we just have to get my daughter..."

Upon hearing the word "daughter", Velma looked around quickly and went pale.

"Jenny!" she cried out.

"Yes?" a small, dark-haired girl with two large ponytails briefly looked away from her strawberry ice cream.

"Have you seen Marty?"

"No, Auntie" the kid shook slightly her head.

Velma's face showed fear.

"Marty! Where are you? MARTY!" she screamed, running around the fountain and peeking into all the nearby thicket.

"Vel" Shaggy grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently "what's going on?"

"M-my son..." the terrified Velma managed to say. "N-not long ago, he rode around here on his bike... and n-n-now, he's gone..."

"Calm down. I'll help you look for him, and in the meantime Scooby..."

However, before Shaggy could finish the sentence, they heard the sound of a bicycle bell.

"Hi, Aunt Velma!" a redheaded, chubby boy exclaimed merrily, stopping next to the woman. "Hi, Jen!" he added, noticing the dark-haired girl.

"Chris!" Velma leaned over the boy, clenched her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Have you seen Marty?"

"He's going slowly somewhere back there" Chris nonchalantly pointed behind him with his thumb.

Velma looked up, ran in the direction shown and tightly hugged her son, who was sitting on the carrier of a bicycle steered by a little girl.

"Never again disappear without a word like that" she whispered. "I was afraid that something bad happened to you."

"Chill, Mom, I wasn't far away" the boy replied. "I just met a buddy and let her have a ride on my bike."

Meanwhile, the amazed Shaggy noticed that the panting, blond-haired girl, leaning on the bike's handlebars, was his daughter.

"Honey?" he spoke, taking her off the saddle.

"Marty... is heavy, Daddy..." the girl gasped.

"You've chosen a bad time for a swim, Vel" an amused woman's voice spoke suddenly.

Having lifted his head, Shaggy saw a pretty, red-haired woman holding the hand of a little, fair-haired boy. He knew only three people who abbreviated Velma's name to "Vel". These people were: himself, Fred and Daphne.

"Well, Daph... it wasn't my idea" Velma replied, smiling shyly. "I bumped into Shaggy and Scooby... or rather they bumped into me."

"What?" Daphne looked up from her friend and her son to encounter Shaggy's gaze. "Oh, jeepers! SHAGGY!" she screamed in joy, letting go of her little boy's hand and throwing herself on the man's neck. "You haven't been here for ages, you rascal! Where's Scooby?"

"Right reere" the dog approached the woman and nudged her hand with his nose, asking for a caress.

"Hello, Scooby" Daphne squatted, embraced the pet and whispered into his ear: "Good job."

"Doggy!" a thin voice squeaked. The boy, whose hand Daphne had held before, toddled up to Scooby and grabbed his left ear.

"Don't do that, honey" the woman instructed him "because it hurts the doggy."

"That's one pretty boy" Shaggy remarked. "He's yours?"

"Yes. The younger one. His name is Jerry."

"Younger? So you also have an elder one?"

"Of course. Chris, honey, come here and say hello."

Shaggy was dumbfounded. He didn't know too many redheads, especially when it came to small, chubby boys – and this one looked familiar to him...

"Hello, Mr. Rogers" Chris said cheerfully, confirming the man's guess, but not reducing his surprise. "Have you made this delicious plum pie recently?"

"Mister, when we'll play super heroes again?" spoke Marty, Velma's son. His mom opened her eyes wide and her mouth slightly, but said nothing.

"Oh, so you know one another?" Daphne raised her eyebrows a bit.

"Uh-huh" Jenny chimed in, licking her fingers clean from the remains of her ice cream.

"B-but how?" Velma stammered, having regained the ability to speak.

"Well, it's Rose's dad; she's our buddy" Marty said as if it was as obvious as Christmas in December. "You met her when you came recently to Aunt Daph and Uncle Fred's home to get me, remember?"

"WHAT?" now it were Shaggy's eyes that almost popped out. "Rose, my little flower, what does it all mean?"

"I've told you that Chris is Marty and Jenny's friend" Rose replied innocently. "It's normal that friends visit each other and that sometimes their parents come to get them... right?"

"Brr, what a cold wind" Daphne shuddered slightly. "I have a suggestion: let's all go to our house. We'll drink some hot chocolate, and you two" she added, looking at Shaggy and Velma "will take off these wet clothes..."

"Daphne...!" Velma cried out, blushing slightly.

"What? You have to dry yourselves and warm up, or you'll get sick. I'll call Fred and tell him to prepare some towels, blankets and clothes for you. Well, now go before your teeth start chattering... or no, perhaps it will be better if you run. Velma, be a dear and show Shaggy the way."

"As you wish" Velma shrugged. "Follow me, Shaggy: the second one is the loser!" she added, running off.

"Hey! It's not fair!" Shaggy laughed, dashing off after her.

None of them had any clue that as soon as they'd disappeared around the corner, Daphne high-fived Scooby and the four elder children.

x

Soon, Shaggy recalled the route to the house in which Fred and Daphne had settled after their marriage. Therefore, he accelerated, overtook Velma and was the first to get to the Joneses' porch.

"Ha! I won! You're the loser!" he panted triumphantly, pressing the doorbell.

"You won because you have longer legs" Velma informed him, leaning against the railing and trying to catch her breath.

"Holy cow, you look worse than I expected" Fred spoke, having opened the door. "Come in quickly" he added, grabbing his friends' wrists and pulling them into the hallway, then he closed the door. "Daphne had warned me you'd be wet, but I didn't think it'd be this bad. In the bathroom, you'll find some dry clothes and towels; quick, dry yourselves and get changed while I prepare you some hot chocolate" he continued, putting blankets on Velma and Shaggy's shoulders, then he disappeared in the kitchen.

x

About ten minutes later, the door lock rattled and Daphne with Scooby and the children entered the house.

"Rocolate!" the dog announced cheerfully having briefly sniffed the air.

"Scooby!" Rose seemed terrified. "Uncle Will always said chocolate is harmful to dogs!"

"Rot...?" Scooby looked at her in surprise. "Rocolate ris relicious!" (_Tr.: What...? Chocolate is delicious!_)

"When overdosed, everything is harmful, Scooby Doo, especially sweets" Daphne explained, trying to keep a straight face.

"But that's no reason to give up on a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly day" Fred chimed in, emerging from the kitchen. "Feel welcome."

"Where are Velma and Shaggy?" Daphne asked, looking around the kitchen once all the kids had gotten their chocolate.

"Changing their clothes."

"Not exactly" said Velma, appearing in the doorway. She was wearing a light purple tracksuit and had a towel turban on her head. "Shaggy turned out to be a gentleman and told me to go first" she added, blushing slightly.

Having noticed this, Daphne smiled slyly. In the past, she'd strongly cheered Velma to tell Shaggy about her feelings. As Velma had never done it, Shaggy had married Mary Jane; but now, it seemed that, using the sport language, the second round would soon begin...

"And you know what the funniest thing in this whole story is?" spoke Shaggy, who had just come out of the bathroom, wearing Fred's slightly too short jeans and a sweater, a little too wide in the shoulders. "If Vel hadn't spoken to me, then I'd not have recognized her at all. She's really all grown up now."

"I don't think you'd expect to see a little girl" Daphne laughed so Shaggy wouldn't notice Velma turn as red as a tomato and fix her gaze on the floor.

"That's true. None of us got younger, buddy; neither I, nor you, nor Vel... nor even Daph" Fred added.

"Oh jeepers, I almost forgot" Daphne lightly slapped her forehead. "Our kitchen radiator is broken, so you two have to go to the living room if you don't want to get pneumonia" actually, it wasn't true, but Velma and Shaggy didn't have to know about it.

"But..." Velma tried to protest.

"Go, go. You have the whole ten years to discuss" said Fred. Daphne immediately wished to gag him, but it was too late.

"How about you? Don't you want to know what was going on with Shaggy?" Velma asked timidly.

"We'll find it out later" Daphne replied, with her eyes begging Fred to not speak anymore. "Take a cup of chocolate each and go."

x

"Shaggy..." Velma spoke shyly.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you decide to come back to Coolsville right now, after ten years?"

"Well, for the last few years, I've had a nice restaurant, but a few months ago, my trusted accountant retired, so I had to find someone new. Unfortunately, I had bad luck; my new employee ran away with the money and so, the place quickly went bust" Shaggy sighed sadly. "Then, I thought that if I do have to start all over again, it would be nice to go back to the old neighborhood on the occasion. But now, let's talk about something nicer" he added a bit more merrily. "What's the name of the lucky guy who is the husband of the most intelligent woman I know?"

Velma hung her head.

"I don't have a husband" she confessed softly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know" Shaggy's smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "How long ago did he die?"

"I'm not a widow" Velma muttered, blushing up to the roots of her hair. "I... I just never got married."

"What about your son? Where did he come from?"

"It's a long story..."

"Never mind. I'm not in a rush. Tell me all."

Velma took a deep breath and looked Shaggy in the eyes.

"More or less eleven years ago, I fell in love with a guy..." she began.

"What was his name?" Shaggy cut in.

"It doesn't matter" Velma slightly shook her head. "I didn't dare tell him about my feelings for him, because he was already in love with another girl. He married her a year later... and then, I did a terribly stupid thing."

"What do you mean?"

"When I lost my beloved, I broke down" the look on Velma's face showed that this wasn't easy for her to talk about. "For a few weeks, I just sat in my room and cried, but one day, Daphne and Maddie finally managed to persuade me to go to a club. Fred and Joe also went with us, for safety. In the club, I met Dan Spencer. He sat down at my table while the rest of my team had gone dancing, and began talking to me. He was nice and polite, so we met a few more times. One day, he invited me to his place and said that he loved me and wanted to prove it. We drank some champagne, and then he started kissing me. Before I knew it, our clothes already lay on the floor, and then, I felt an instinct and... and it happened."

"What happened?" Shaggy asked cautiously.

"More or less the same thing as between you and Mary Jane on your wedding night. Later, Dan began to avoid me. I was pleased with it, because I was really ashamed of what we'd done, and besides... in the morning, when he'd thought I'd been still asleep, I'd heard him telling someone on the phone that he'd won the bet, because he'd managed to pick me up."

"What?" Shaggy's eyes widened. "He seduced you, because he'd made a bet?"

Velma looked down and nodded.

"Frankly, I hoped that I'd never have anything to do with him, but I was wrong" she replied softly. "After a few weeks, I discovered that I'd have a baby. I admit that I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. I started crying and of course, Maddie peered into the bathroom and word by word, made me tell her everything. I remember she hugged me to calm me down..."

"Wait" Shaggy interrupted her. "MADELYN? Was calming YOU? As far as I remember, it was always the opposite."

"People change. Maddie really matured, especially since she'd gotten married to Joe and become a mother. Anyway, when I stopped crying, Maddie said that we needed to tell it to our parents, and soon."

"How did they take it?"

"They were shocked. I think they'd rather expect such a thing from Maddie, because she'd always been the more hotheaded one. Then, without a word, Dad led me out of the house and we went to Dan. When we stood face to face with him, Dad literally exploded. He called Dan many names, the mildest of which was probably the 'perfidious seducer', and announced that he, I mean Dan, would have to pay the child support. Of course, Dan also got mad then, but he said nothing; he just slammed the door in our faces. The next day, I went to his place alone to discuss the situation with him, but the door was locked. From his neighbor I learned that after Dad had told him off, Dan had packed up and left, but hadn't said where or for how long."

"In other words, he ran away?" Shaggy guessed.

"Yes; and then, I totally freaked out" Velma replied softly. "I even thought about the abortion, but fortunately, Mom discovered this and convinced me not to do it. Anyway, she and Dad behaved great. They looked after me all the time and when the time came for Marty to be born, they took me to the hospital. Apparently, I terribly cursed Dan, but I don't know that for sure. I was so scared that I remembered only the pain and that Mom held my hand all the time. I don't even remember screaming... though Maddie and Joe still say that half of the hospital could hear me."

"What about Dan?" Shaggy asked. "Did he come back? Or maybe he at least pays the child support?"

Velma laughed bitterly.

"Come on. He doesn't even know he has a son, not a daughter. Since the day when Dad had told him what he'd thought of him, he hasn't showed up in Coolsville a single time."

"And Marty? He never asked you about his father?"

"He sure did; he was maybe four when he first asked why Jenny and Chris had daddies and he didn't. Back then, I somehow managed to avoid replying, but after a while, he brought the question back. I couldn't tell him the whole truth, because even now, he's too young for this. For now, he knows the name of his father, and that Dan left me when I was pregnant. That's enough for him, especially since he has three father figures: my dad, Joe and Fred."

"Fred?"

Velma nodded.

"He's Marty's godfather. He and Daphne until now really help me in caring for my kid" she explained.

"Speaking of help" Shaggy lightly squeezed her hand "you know that thanks to my dad, I have friends in the police. If you want it, I can help you find Dan and..."

"No. I don't want pity" the woman withdrew her hand from his.

"I see you're just as proud and stubborn as before" the man smiled. "I guess that's why you haven't kept touch with us for all these years? You weren't able to admit that you'd made a mistake because you were afraid we'd spurn you, right?"

Velma nodded again. It wasn't the whole truth, but Shaggy didn't have to know it.

"I also made Fred, Daphne and Maddie promise that they'd not contact you; I was afraid that one of them might accidentally reveal my secret to you. As for Dan, I've never looked for him, because I'm doing fine without him and to be honest, I don't miss him. I never loved him. I just wanted to forget about..." at this point, she paused and looked down, hoping that her friend wouldn't notice the slight blush on her face.

"About whom?" Shaggy inquired.

"About you" Velma replied softly and dug the nails of her right hand into her left palm to avoid blushing even more. "But that's the past. I'm an adult and I've recovered from this puppy love" she added quickly, lifting her head. "Now, it's Marty who's everything to me. Right, enough about me. It's your turn. Tell me how your life with Mary Jane is going..." at this point, she noticed big tears stream down her friend's cheeks. "Shaggy...?" she asked shyly.

"Mary Jane left me" Shaggy confessed softly.

"How come? When? Why?" Velma wasn't able to understand it. Mary Jane did love Shaggy, for crying out loud! "What happened?"

"It was this way: on our second Christmas together, Mary told me that we'd have a baby. You can't imagine how happy I was. Actually, we all were happy about it: Mary, I, my parents, Maggie and Wilf... and even Scooby. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. A few weeks later, Mary was diagnosed with a cancer."

"And nothing could be done?"

"Oh, sure; even then, the chances were slim, but if Mary had been immediately subjected to chemotherapy, she could have survived."

"Then why...?"

"The doctor who took care of her told us it would almost certainly harm the baby. Mary said in this case she wasn't going to risk it and gave up on the therapy. At first, I was a bit angry with her because I couldn't understand her decision. I even thought she didn't love our kid, if she wanted to make her an orphan. Actually, it was another way around. Mary knew this disease would defeat her, so she decided to save the baby. She succeeded, but by this time her body was completely destroyed and... and she died in less than three hours."

"I'm so sorry for you" Velma whispered, grasping Shaggy's hand. "We weren't very close, but I liked her..."

"I know, Vel" he replied and smiled sadly. "The doctors did all they could, but in the end Mary died, and I was left alone with a baby daughter. If it weren't for Maggie, Wilf and my parents' help, I probably wouldn't have coped with it..."

"Does either of you fancy one more serving of chocolate?" Daphne spoke, opening the door unexpectedly and peering into the room. Velma and Shaggy got so scared that they screamed and jumped up to their feet.

x

The next day, regardless of Fred's reluctance, Daphne had Madelyn and Joe come for yet another discussion about Velma and Shaggy.

"I looked into the room and they sat next to each other! And in addition, she was holding his hand!" she squealed excitedly. "I feel that means a wedding is coming!"

"Daphne, you're a hopeless romantic" Joe sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know this Shaggy of yours too well, but I do know Velma. She certainly won't marry a random guy only because she had a little talk with him..."

"A little talk?" Daphne was outraged. "They were alone in there for almost two hours! I tell you it'll end with a marriage!"

"I think you're jumping to conclusions, honey" said Fred. "First: Velma and Shaggy haven't seen each other for ten years, so it's obvious they had a lot to talk about. Second, Velma was hurt really bad by a certain Daniel Spencer, who actually should pray not to get into my hands..."

"And third, from what Velma told me, it turns out that Shaggy didn't have a bed of roses of a life either" Madelyn cut in. "Not to mention that he's never loved Velma, and she claims she no longer has feelings for him."

"In short, don't try matchmaking them, Daphne, because you'll not succeed anyway" Joe summed up.

"We'll see who'll be right in the end" Daphne muttered, dissatisfied.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor, misunderstood Daphne, huh? Well, no one ever said it would be easy. :P Besides, I have a feeling it may be more amusing than a sentimental story in the style of J.-J. Rousseau. :D<strong>

**Feel free to comment!**

**VM**


	6. Time to start the Operation: Amor

**Hi! :)**

**I've noticed that once again, I'm posting a new chapter two months after the previous one; I hope you're not angry about such a low frequency of updates.**

**To all unregistered readers: take a look at my profile, you're in for a surprise. :D**

**And now, without further beating around the bush – enjoy!**

**VerMa**

* * *

><p>The very same day, having realized that she couldn't count on Fred, Madelyn and Joe, Daphne took Chris, Marty, Jenny, Rose and Scooby to the candy store and told them explicitly that she planned to matchmake Velma and Shaggy.<p>

"Matchmake? And what does it mean?" Marty asked, looking at her with surprise.

"It means to cause the wedding of your mom and Rose's dad" the woman explained.

"Ooooh!" Jenny called out. "And it will be like in all those fairy tales that end with a happy life ever after?"

"Life's not a fairy tale" her cousin reminded her. "And this idea is lame, Aunt Daph. Rose's dad is cool, but my mom doesn't love him."

"And my dad doesn't love Marty's mom" Rose spoke. "And that's a pity; she's nice..."

"Well, there is a way out of this. We need to make them fall in love with each other."

"But how?" Chris wanted to know.

"For start, it will be enough for them to meet often and have great time together."

"And how will we know if they're having a good time?" Jenny inquired.

"It's simple. They just should do things they both like."

"Rolve rysteries?" Scooby suggested.

"One or two won't hurt, but that's not what I meant really" Daphne replied. "I was rather thinking about going to the cinema or to a restaurant together..."

"Oh, great!" Jenny cheered ."I like going to the movies!"

"I prefer theme parks" Chris chimed in.

"This is not about what YOU like" Daphne told them "but what will please Aunt Velma and Shaggy."

"When we lived in Plymouth, Daddy took me to the cinema every Saturday, because that's when cartoons were shown" said Rose.

"My mom likes movies, too" Marty spoke "but we haven't been in the cinema for a long time, because we don't have much money recently."

"I've got an idea!" Chris exclaimed. "How about we all just come to Rose to play super heroes with her dad?"

"Better admit that you're hoping for sweets" Jenny giggled.

"Shut up" the boy grumbled.

"Why, Puffy?"

"Mom, Jen teases me!" Chris complained.

"No, I don't!" the girl protested.

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"Roh, boy..." Scooby muttered, running his paw down his muzzle.

"Calm down, you two" Daphne ordered. "Chris's idea is good, but we must alter it a bit."

"Do what?" Jenny didn't understand.

"Change" her cousin explained to her.

"What exactly will we change, ma'am?" Rose asked.

"You can call me 'Aunt Daphne', dear. This probably will be easier. And as for Chris's idea: you won't be playing super heroes, unless Scooby agrees to be a thug."

"So what will we do?" Marty wanted to know.

"You, Scooby and the girls will come to us for a movie night, and I'll send your mom and Shaggy out on a date to..."

"Won't they realize that all this was set up, then?" Jenny interrupted her.

"That's impossible" Daphne chuckled. "Your parents still have no clue that they met thanks to me. Anyway, think about it some more. On Monday, I'll pick you up after classes and then, you'll tell me if you agree to my plan."

x

On Sunday evening, Velma left her son with her parents, because she had to go to another town, where she was going to have a job interview the next day.

"Grandma?" Marty asked after supper.

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you think Mom will get this job?"

"For sure. She has very good references."

"And then, we'll have to move?"

"It will be inevitable."

"Bummer" the boy muttered.

"Why are you so gloomy?" Grandpa asked. "What happened?"

"I don't want to move" the sulking Marty said. "I want to stay here and keep on playing with Jenny and Chris, and Rose, and Scooby."

"I'm sure you'll visit one another" Grandma tried to comfort him. "It isn't that far, after all."

"But if we leave now, then Aunt Daphne's plan will go down the drain!"

"What plan?" Mr. Dinkley was curious.

"Aunt Daphne said on Friday that she wants to matchmake Mom and Mr. Rogers, and that she wants us, I mean Chris, Scooby, the girls and me, to help her with this" the boy explained.

His grandparents exchanged glances.

"It's getting late" Grandma said. "You'd better go to bed, dear."

"Do I have to?"

"You do" Grandpa said shortly. "Brush your teeth and go to bed. In fifteen minutes, I'll come to turn off the light."

x

About half an hour later, Marty was already asleep, so Mrs. Dinkley dialed Daphne's cellphone number.

"Good evening, Daphne. I hope I didn't wake you" she said when the younger Mrs. Jones answered the phone.

"No, of course not" Daphne replied in a somewhat muffled voice, as if to hide a yawn. "What happened?"

"Nothing yet, but it MAY happen."

"Oh!" Daphne got alarmed. "What do you mean?"

"It's about Velma. Marty said that you want to marry her off with Shaggy."

"Well... yes. So what?"

"What do you mean 'what'? Have you forgotten how did it end last time? I know you mean well, but I beg you, leave it. I don't want Velma to suffer from a broken heart again, do you understand?"

"I don't want that either, Mrs. Dinkley. And I'll do everything I can so that it doesn't happen."

"So you're sure that playing matchmaker is a good idea?"

"Absolutely. Shaggy lost his wife..."

"I didn't know about it. When did it happen?"

"Right after the birth of their daughter. Let's be honest: this girl needs a mother and Marty needs a father. If I could get Velma and Shaggy marry each other..."

"Alright, I know what you mean. I'd have to be insane to try to stop you; and I'd have failed, anyway. I just ask you for one thing: be careful. Feelings, especially love, are not toys."

"I know it, Mrs. Dinkley. I'll do my best to make Velma and Shaggy happy."

x

The next day, just like she'd planned it, Daphne came to the school in the afternoon to drive the children home and be able to talk to them on the occasion.

"So? Shall we begin the operation 'Amor'?" she asked once everybody was in the car.

"What is Amor?" Rose wanted to know.

"The Roman god of love" Daphne explained. "I decided that if Fred, my husband, could call his plan 'Operation: Reunion', then we can do the operation 'Amor'. And? What's your decision? Are you in?"

"Rotally" Scooby replied.

"Yes" said both Jenny and Chris.

"There's only one problem" Marty cut in.

"What problem?" Daphne asked.

"My mom had a job interview today in another town. What will we do if she's accepted?"

"I'll think of something" the woman promised "but it's no use to worry in advance."

"And if my daddy falls in love with Marty's mom, will he forget about my mommy, then?" Rose asked with concern.

Using the fact that she had to stop the car at the red light, Daphne turned around and looked gently in the girl's eyes.

"I'm sure he'll always remember her" she said "but that doesn't mean he mustn't fall in love again and remarry" she added and glanced at the lights. The yellow one had just lit. She had to pay attention now.

"And if he got married... then I'd have a new mom, right?" Rose inquired.

"Exactly" Daphne smiled, using the rearview mirror to look at her.

The girl grinned.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!" she squealed excitedly.

"Yeah" Marty agreed.

"We sure will, kids" Daphne assured

x

The flat was strangely quiet.

"Mom?" Marty called hesitantly, climbing on his toes and locking the door. He was already beginning to regret that he hadn't wanted to go to his grandparents' or to Aunt Daphne's home. "Mom, are you in here? Mom!"

Because he received no answer, he took off his shoes and tiptoed to the kitchen, holding his breath and trying not to make any noise. Truth be told, he was afraid that at any moment, a ghost or a bandit would pop out from around the corner. All because of the scary stories that he and Chris had recently told each other to prove themselves tough guys who didn't fear anything. Despite this, after some pondering, he dared look into the kitchen.

It was empty. This calmed him somewhat, but didn't explain where Mom was. Checking the bathroom was pointless, because there was no light; thus, all that remained was the room where his bed and Mom's couch were placed. However, no one was there either. Suddenly, the boy realized that for the first time in his life, he was all alone at home.

"Don't be afraid, Fluffy" he said in a trembling voice, taking his favorite teddy bear and hugging it tightly. "Mom surely will come soon."

Soon, the door lock rattled.

"MOM!" the scared kid cried and ducked under the bed.

"Marty?" called a worried voice, which he knew so well.

The boy crawled out of his hiding place, ran out to the corridor and clung to his mom.

"Where have you been so long?" he asked with a slight reproach.

"At Aunt Daphne's home; I thought that's where I'd find you" Mom replied, brushing the dust off him. "Why didn't you want to wait for me over there?"

"I thought you were home... but I was wrong."

"So now you understand why I don't want to leave you alone even for an hour, right?" Mom gave Marty her distinctive, slightly ironic look from behind her glasses, even though she spoke completely seriously.

"Yes" the boy admitted. Suddenly, an idea showed up in his head. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Would all this happen if I had a dad?"

For a moment, Velma looked into her son's eyes without a word.

"No" she replied finally. "Why do you ask? You know very well that your father ran away before you were born, and that no one knows where he is now."

"A new dad would be cool, too" the boy made the most charming face of which he was capable.

His mother looked at him sternly.

"These are adults' affairs. I don't want you to meddle into them" she said. "Go do your homework; I'll call you when dinner is ready."

x

At 10 p.m., Marty lay in bed; Mom always made sure that he went to bed about the same time. This didn't mean, however, that he always fell asleep right away. Now, for example, he was listening carefully, because Mom was talking to someone on the phone; and if she waited until he (in theory) was already asleep, then the case was serious.

"I don't know what to do now" Mom said. Although she'd lowered her voice, it was clear anyway that she was hardly stopping herself from crying. "This offer was geographically the best... Sure, I'll try in other places, but if I get a job far away from here, then what? Will I have to move Marty to a new school in the middle of the semester or leave him behind until Christmas?"

The boy's mouth trembled. Both options scared him.

"On the other hand" Mom went on, her voice cracking "unless I find a job, we'll eventually end up homeless..."

Oh, jinkies. This prospect was even scarier. Only now Marty fully understood why Aunt Daphne wanted so much that Mom married Mr. Rogers... Then again, Mom forbade him to meddle into the affairs of adults. Now what?

x

Around 3 a.m., Shaggy entered his bedroom and threw himself on the bed. Right after that, he got up abruptly, because he'd heard a yelp from Scooby, who had taken advantage of his master's absence and had left his basket to lie down on the soft mattress.

"Sorry, buddy" the man absently scratched his pet's ear.

"Row ris she?" the dog asked. (Tr.: _How is she?_)

"Who?" Shaggy seemed not to understand, probably because of fatigue.

"Rose; rour ronly raughter" the animal explained patiently. (Tr.: _Rose; your only daughter._)

"Oh, she... Already better; she threw up the entire supper, but at least she was able to fall asleep. Now I just have to remember to not allow her to eat caramel ice cream with olives anymore, especially in the evening."

"Rabsolutely" Scooby agreed. "Rood right, Raggy."

"'Night" his master muttered.

There was silence. After a moment, however, Shaggy broke it by whispering:

"Hey, Scoob...?"

"Res?"

"Tell me honestly: did you... did you know that Velma was once in love with me?"

Ah-hah! Daphne's plan hadn't even started to be executed, and Shaggy was already thinking about Velma. Daphne would probably go crazy with happiness when she found out!

"Ri ressed rit" the dog admitted. "Ry ro rou rask?" (Tr.: _I guessed it. Why do you ask?_)

"Because for the last few days I've been trying to understand why she didn't tell me this back then; and I swear that I can't. We were... we ARE friends, so she should have been honest with me, right? And yet, she preferred to hide it. But why?"

"Row rould ri row? Rask rer rand rou'll row." (Tr.: _How should I know? Ask her and you'll know._)

"Come on; you can't be serious, man. How do you imagine this? That I'd walk up to her and say: 'Hey, Vel, I want to know why you hid from me that you loved me'?"

"Rore ror ress." (Tr.: _More or less._)

"Uh-uh, no way. Even then, at Daphne and Fred's home, I was terribly embarrassed when I learned that I'd once broken her heart. Do you really think that now, I'd be able to come back to this and hurt her again?"

Scooby thought for a moment.

"Ro" he said finally.

"And you're right. That's why I prefer to guess her motives."

"Ri rill rink rou rould ralk ro rer" the dog stated, then stretched and turned on his side. "Rood right, Raggy." (Tr.: _I still think you should talk to her. Good night, Shaggy._)

"Good night, Scooby Doo."

x

"Daddy, I feel sick" Rose complained just when Shaggy was about to leave her by the school and go to work. "I want to go home."

"It's impossible, sweetie" her dad replied sadly. "I can't take a day off all of a sudden, and you can't be alone in the house. You'll have to bear with it somehow..."

"Hi!" Jenny exclaimed cheerfully, running up to Rose. "You'd better come on now, or Mrs. Graham will give us a hard time."

"Chill, we can skip English for once" Chris said casually, lazily approaching the girls.

"Christopher Jones, don't you even think about it!" Velma scolded him, having stopped making sure (for the fifth time that morning) that Marty had all the necessary things in his backpack. "If you do this, I'll inform your parents!"

"Bye, Mom! Goodbye, sir!" Marty cried and ran away before his mom could start asking him another series of questions.

"Come on, Aunt Velma, don't you know how to take a joke?" Chris muttered sulkily.

"When it came to learning, Velma has never joked" Shaggy chimed in, trying to relieve the tension. "But maybe you actually should go now, huh, kids? Lessons are about to start."

Chris reluctantly shuffled towards the school, muttering something about injustice. Jenny, on the other hand, stayed to wait for Rose.

"Well, I also have to get going" Shaggy leaned over his daughter and kissed her forehead. "Bye, honey. Be brave."

"Daddy, but I really feel sick" the girl was already on the verge of tears.

"Shaggy, she really looks bad" Velma cut in. "I think it would be better if she stayed home today."

"I know" the man admitted softly "but I have no one to leave her with, and I can't take a day off yet."

"I'll take care of her" the woman offered.

"Really?"

"Sure. Lately, I have more free time than I'd like."

"Well, thanks a lot, then. You're wonderful."

"Don't thank me. It's no big deal" Velma smiled slightly. "You'd better go, or you really will be late. You too, Jenny" she added, glancing at her niece.

x

Having opened her eyes, Rose noticed that the place where she was didn't resemble either of her rooms – neither the old one in Plymouth, nor the new one in Coolsville. True, she lay in bed, but on the sheets there were dinosaurs, instead of flowers and teddy bears. Plus, when she got up, it turned out she was wearing only her underwear and the rest of her clothes lay on the couch, standing by the opposite wall.

Only when she looked at the picture hanging over the couch, she remembered she was in Marty and his mom's flat. Judging by the smell wafting in the air, Marty's mom was preparing something to eat. The girl got dressed and followed the sweetish, appetizing aroma to the kitchen. Her hunch had been correct – Marty's mom (Miss Dinkley? Velma? AUNT Velma?) stood at the stove, stirring cautiously with a wooden spoon in a saucepan, which as it turned out, contained fried fruit; hmmm... apples or pears?

"A true daughter of her father" Velma laughed when Rose moved closer to the pan to smell the fumes floating above it. "How did you sleep?"

"Well, thank you. What fruit it is?"

"Apples."

"Can I try?"

The woman took a small bowl off the dryer and put some pomace into it.

"Here" she said, handing the dish to the girl, and slipped one of the drawers out. "Get yourself a spoon and enjoy. But be careful, it's still hot."

For a moment there was silence, except for the spoon tapping on the bowl.

"Thank you. It was delicious" Rose said finally.

"I assume it means that you feel better?"

"A lot."

"So can I know why did you feel sick? As far as I know, today there was no test of which you should be afraid; otherwise, Chris and Jenny also would be 'ill'."

"In the night, I was sick and I threw up. In the morning, Daddy said it was probably because for supper, I ate large caramel ice cream with olives."

"It's possible. People usually don't mix ice cream with olives."

"Yet, my dad can eat a pizza with bacon, marinated bell pepper and whipped cream."

Velma winced slightly.

"When food was involved, your dad has always been unique" she said. "By the way, are you hungry?"

"And much" Rose nodded. "I haven't eaten since breakfast."

Velma glanced at the kitchen clock. It was eleven. Lessons began at half to nine, which meant that the kid had probably eaten the breakfast around eight o'clock, maybe even earlier. No wonder she was hungry, especially when taking into consideration that she was the daughter of Shaggy Rogers. If her appetite was even half the same as her father's, it was better to feed her before she'd start to look for food in the fridge.

x

Around two p.m., the phone rang. Velma put down the album with old pictures of Mystery Inc., which she was looking through with Rose, and went to answer it.

"Hello...? Shaggy?" she asked in surprise. "Where did you get my number...? Right, I forgot that they still exist. Anyway, why do you call...? To me, she already looks fine; she ate a bowl of pomace and three sandwiches with ham and cheese... What do you mean this is little for her...? I know she has your genes, but she's still a child...! We'll talk about it later. Meet us by the school; I have to get Marty from there anyway... You really could do it...? Thanks a lot! So when will you come...? Alright, we'll be waiting. Bye."

x

That day Shaggy finished his work a few minutes earlier to pick Marty up from the school before Daphne would do it; the day before, when she'd driven Rose home, he'd had the opportunity to speak with her for a moment and he'd found out that while picking Chris up after school, she always took Marty and Jenny as well. This time, he reached the place virtually in the same moment she did. This was quite an achievement for him, as she had come by car, while he'd gone on foot.

"Hi, Shaggy" the woman greeted him. "Where are you rushing to, if I may know?"

"You'll be amazed, but right here" the man replied. "I promised to Velma I'd walk Marty home, because..."

"Yes, I know" Daphne interrupted him, putting her hands on her hips and frowning, as she always did when she was annoyed. Some things never change. "Velma told me all about it over the phone. What had made you let the kid eat ice cream with olives?"

"You know" Shaggy made an uncertain face and started scratching the back of his neck "she' almost always eaten the same things I have, so I didn't expect this would harm her..."

Daphne rolled her eyes and sighed, but said nothing. Maybe because in the meantime, the bell rang, or maybe she simply was out of words. Both adults stood in silence for the next few minutes; after this time, out of the school ran Jenny, Marty and Chris.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hey, Aunt Daph!" they cried out, having run up to Daphne.

"Wait! What about me?" Shaggy feigned indignation.

"Oh! Mr. Rogers!" Marty was surprised. "Where are Rose and my mom?" he asked, having looked around.

"We're going to them" the man grinned. "I promised your mom I'd walk you home."

"So Marty's not going with us today?" Chris looked disappointed.

"A promise is a promise" his mom explained and bit her lower lip, as if she tried to hold a giggle.

x

"They have delicious cinnamon rolls in here" Marty said, pulling Shaggy over to the display of one of the candy stores. "And over there, on the other side, is the best malt shop in the whole city; Mom used to take me there every Saturday."

"I'm not surprised" the man replied. "Years ago, our whole gang used to go there. They had a really big choice, so each of us could find something for themselves... Say, what are the bouquets they make in this flower shop?"

"I don't know. I've never bought any flowers."

"And what do you say about getting your mom a nice bouquet?"

"Why?" the boy was surprised. "Mom doesn't have birthday today."

"Flowers are bought not only for birthdays. They can also be given when you want to thank someone for something. And I would like to thank your mom for taking care of Rose today. Do you understand?"

"Now I do. Do you know what flowers my mom likes?"

"Maybe I still remember... White tulips?"

Marty looked at Shaggy in surprise.

"She's always bought red" he said after a moment.

"So we'll take red and white. She'll surely like either of these colors."

x

Soon after, the man and the boy came to a small housing estate, almost touching the park.

"You live in this area?" Shaggy guessed.

"Yes."

"Where exactly?"

Marty pointed to a nearby building with an ugly, dirty facade.

"Inside it's not bad" he added quickly, seeing the man's uncertain expression. "It's just that the others were recently repainted."

After this ensuring, Shaggy allowed himself to be led to the door of a flat on the second floor; however, he was extremely surprised when the boy, clearly embarrassed, asked him to wait on the staircase.

"Why? Is there something I don't know?" Shaggy asked, leaning over Marty and looking him straight in the eye.

"N-no" the boy stammered "b-but it will be fa-faster and stuff... M-my mom says I sh-should never waste time..."

"And you're lying just as poorly as she did when she was your age" the man stated and pressed the doorbell.

After a moment, the door opened, and Velma stood in the doorway. She wore a red dress, reaching to her mid-calf, and on the neck, she had a silver chain with a butterfly-shaped pendant.

"H-hi, Shaggy" she said and blushed slightly.

x

Damn it. Of course, she HAD TO stutter and blush like a schoolgirl the moment when she saw him. She realized it was irrational, because for over an hour, she'd known Shaggy would bring Marty, and what's more, for this occasion, she had put on one of her nicer dresses. And yet, having seen at her door the man whom she (had) loved so much, she felt as if she suddenly had won the lottery of life.

"Hi, Vel. I give you your treasure back" said Shaggy, smiling cheerfully and discreetly pushing Marty towards Velma. "And this is for you" he added, handing the woman a bouquet of red and white tulips.

"Thank you; they're beautiful. But what's the occasion?"

"This is my thanks for you looking after Rose today. I really don't know what I'd do if you didn't propose it. I hope she was a good girl."

"I'll say more: she was a lot better than Jenny. Of course, so far, Jenny has played with the boys more often than with other girls... Oh jinkies, I totally forgot! While we're chatting here, the dinner is getting cold. Please come in."

"That's nice of you, but I don't want to cause you more trouble..."

"It's no trouble. Come on. Marty will show you where you can wash your hands."

x

"So, what were you doing when you were at Aunt Velma's place?" Jenny asked the next day, trying to be heard by no one except Rose (and maybe, possibly Chris), especially not by the teacher.

"First, I slept a bit, and then, I got some pomace and Miss Velma showed me some old photos. And then, my daddy and Marty came, and the four of us ate dinner."

"And what was for dinner?" Chris asked.

"Fried chicken with potatoes, plus a salad with the soft, white, salty cheese; it's called fiesta... or feast... something like that."

"Feta" said a female voice. Looking up, the children saw Mrs. Graham, who'd interrupted explaining to the class what is multiplication, and now stared sternly at the talkative trio. "For discussions on topics unrelated to the lesson you have the breaks" she added. "And for tomorrow, you'll write ten times: 'I'll never talk during lessons again'. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am" Chris said on behalf of himself and the girls.

Meanwhile, Jenny took out of her backpack a little notebook in which she had all the necessary phone numbers written, pulled a sheet out, wrote some words on it and discreetly passed the message to Chris, who then handed it to Rose.

_One more thing. You enjoyed your time with Aunt Velma?_ – the girl read.

_Yes. Especially dinner. It was almost like I had not only Dad but also a mom and a brother. I wish it could always be like that_ – she wrote back.

* * *

><p><strong>Feedback will be greatly appreciated.<strong>

**Regards,**

**VM.**


	7. The blissful ignorance

**Hello!**

**Jinkies, it's been over three months since I've uploaded the last chapter. I hope you haven't forgotten what**** the story**** is about, and that the content of this chapter will be worth your long wait. :)**

**While reading, you probably will come across an asterisk (*). It marks a fragment, which may be unclear due to cultural differences. You'll find its explanation in the end note.**

**And now – enjoy!**

**VerMa**

* * *

><p>Shaggy's old tactics still worked perfectly. Thanks to posing as a not too bright good soul, Fred was able to guess from his wife's behavior a lot more than he'd have learned by asking her explicitly. In this case, it was obvious for a few days that Daphne was up to something. She often hummed under her breath, almost constantly had this special, cunning-cheerful smile of hers on her face and she also walked in a different way – in fact, she almost danced around the house to this mysterious melody of hers. Yes, she definitely was scheming; and what's more, everything was going like she wanted it to go.<p>

That left only figuring out what had she come up with this time.

x

"Daddy" Rose smiled sweetly and fluttered her eyelashes "can Jenny, Marty and Chris come here on Saturday?"

"Sure" Shaggy gave a little shrug. "I've never forbidden you to invite your friends. I don't understand why this time you approach me as if you tried to find out what I'd buy you for your birthday."

"'Cause I want to invite Jenny and the boys to a movie night... I just don't know if I can."

"Sure you can. As long as their parents agree, too."

"You're the best dad in the world" the girl declared, clinging to her father.

"I have no choice, my little princess; you deserve the best of everything" the man replied, stroking his daughter's blond curls and grinning.

x

"Can I go to Rose tomorrow?" Chris asked on Friday during the dinner.

"Of course, darling" Daphne replied immediately. "You know that you can meet with friends whenever you want."

"Now, now, be careful what you say, my dear" Fred cut in. "The kid may misunderstand you and begin wandering around the city in the night."

"I'm not a kid" Chris protested.

"Of course not, darling" Daphne gently patted her elder son's hand. "About what time you're going to Rose tomorrow?"

"Evening."

Fred looked at his wife meaningfully.

"What did I tell you? It's already starting" he said with a slight reproach. "Get it out of your head, son" he added, turning to Chris. "You can visit your friends in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon, but not in the evening."

"But, Dad" the boy moaned "Rose invited me, Jen and Marty for a movie night. She said she has movies about Batman and Superman, and that her dad promised to make a whole lot of popcorn..."

"That's Shaggy for you" Daphne said cheerfully. "I really don't see, Freddy, why you're so reluctant. After all, this isn't about a big journey to Plymouth, but a mere going to a friend who lives three blocks away. It's closer than to your parents, not to mention my old home."

"But since when an eight-year-old can wander around the city in the evening?"

"You've already forgotten what we were doing when we were kids?"

Fred sighed. Unfortunately, his wife had a point, and he was aware of this.

"Okay, you've won" he said reluctantly.

"Thanks, Dad!" Chris exclaimed, throwing himself on his father's neck.

"I knew you'd agree eventually, Freddy" Daphne said and slightly bit her lower lip for a moment.

This short change of Daphne's facial expression once again assured Fred that his wife was up to something; what was more, he was now ready to bet his entire collection of the _National Exaggerator_ archival issues that it had something to do with Shaggy... Of course! How could he not have guessed it! She undoubtedly was trying to secretly set Shaggy up with Velma!

"Freddy, is everything alright?" Daphne asked with worry.

"I need to check if I didn't leave the keys in the ignition" Fred lied quickly and ran out of the kitchen.

He knew he'd done wrong, but he had no other choice. After all, he couldn't have told her that he'd figured out her plans, because she certainly would have denied everything... Okay, calm down. He had to ponder about what to do in this situation. It looked like the best option would be to wait calmly for the next events – and, if necessary, turn on the "big brother mode" towards Velma.

x

"Just remember: behave well and don't fight with Chris or Jenny" Velma said, smoothing her son's hair one last time, and rang the bell at the Rogerses' front door.

"Chill out, Mom" Marty shrugged slightly. "How on earth could we fight during the movie?"

Mom shot him a skeptical glance, but before she could answer, the door opened.

"Hi, Vel. Howdy, Marty" Shaggy grinned as widely as he could. "Come in quickly; while we waited for you, Scooby, Chris and the girls have tried to get the popcorn five times already... I see you, you rascals!" he added half-warningly, half-jokingly, glancing toward the kitchen door.

"Relma!"

"Aunt Velma!" having abandoned their original intention of getting the popcorn, Jenny and Chris hugged the woman and Scooby poked her hand a few times with his nose.

"Actually, I think I should go now" Velma almost automatically stroked the dog, who responded with a joyful wagging of his tail.

"Ry?" Scooby looked at her with sad eyes. (Tr.: _Why?_)

"Please stay" said Rose, coming up to Velma and strongly grabbing her hand.

"Stay, Auntie!" Jenny and Chris echoed their friend.

"I can't stay" Velma replied, trying to free herself from the children clinging to her. To no avail. "I wasn't invited..."

"Since when do you need an invitation to pay a visit to an old buddy?" Shaggy was surprised. "You're outvoted; you stay, unless you have some super-important plans."

"But..."

"Come on, don't make us beg. For ten years, Scooby and I haven't had a single occasion to spend an evening with anyone from the old gang... and besides, looks like the kids won't let you leave until we watch the movie."

x

After the movie, it turned out that the carpet had been covered with popcorn, which the children had secretly been throwing at one another.

"Okay, kids, go to play" Shaggy pushed aside Scooby, dozing in his lap, and jumped up from the couch. "I'll call you when supper is ready."

The children, each grabbing one more handful of popcorn, ran out of the room. After a moment, came such a noise as if a herd of elephants ran up the stairs, then the door banged and all went quiet.

"Jinkies, what a mess" Velma muttered, looking around. "I've known that Jenny and the boys in contact with popcorn can behave like three little savages, but this time they outdid themselves. Where's the vacuum cleaner?"

"Why would we need one?" Shaggy chuckled and poked Scooby a few times. "Hey, Scoob, you fancy some popcorn?"

The dog lifted one eyelid, glanced at the floor, jumped up like electrified and rushed to the popcorn kernels lying on the carpet. Shortly after, there was no trace of the mess.

"You always clean up like that?" Velma asked, having shaken off the first shock.

"Of course not. We do so only when the mess is edible" Shaggy grinned.

"Rerible rand relicious" Scooby added merrily.

"Speaking of delicious, I guess I should get started with the supper before the kids collapse from hunger" Shaggy said, grinning even wider (at this point, Velma began to wonder when his face will break in half) and winking significantly to Scooby.

"Well, and I guess I should go now" said Velma, scratching Scooby behind the ear and offered Shaggy her hand. "See you, boys. I'll come later to pick up Marty."

"No way, you must be kidding" Shaggy looked at her in surprise. "I have my honor; at the time of dinner and supper, I don't let my guests leave without a decent meal."

"You've never let your guests leave without a decent meal" Velma said, smiling slightly. "But all jokes aside, I don't want to abuse your kindness."

"You're not abusing anything, Vel. Please stay for supper. Think of it as of my thanks for taking care of Rose and a wonderful dinner."

"Ray, Relma" Scooby looked pleadingly at the woman. (Tr.: _Stay, Velma._)

"It's not fair, Scooby Doo" she said after a moment. "You know I never could resist this look on your face."

"Ro rou'll ray ror rupper?" the dog made sure, wagging his tail happily. (Tr.: _So you'll stay for supper?_)

"I will. But, Shaggy, let me at least help you a little bit."

"If you want it, then sure, come on" the man took the woman's wrist and led her to the kitchen.

x

"Vel" said Shaggy, throwing the last portion of chopped tomatoes into the bowl with the salad "can we talk? You know... absolutely frankly?"

"I think so" Velma shrugged and with a spoon she stirred the sugar, slowly changing in a saucepan into a sticky, light brown substance. "Maybe for start you can explain to me why do you need this caramel?"

"This is the base for the sauce."

"Sauce for the dessert?"

"No. For sausages." *

Velma turned slightly green and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Excuse me for a moment" she muttered and ran towards the bathroom, having thrust the spoon, coated with the caramel, into Shaggy's hand.

"What did I say?" the surprised Shaggy looked at Scooby, who in response just tilted his head first to the right and then to the left, as a sign that he had no clue.

Velma came back a few minutes later. She was paler than before, and her eyes were watery and puffy.

"Are you okay?" Shaggy asked with concern.

"Yes; I just wish I hadn't asked you about the caramel" Velma replied, wiping away a tear streaming down her left cheek. "Do you have any mint candies?"

The man immediately reached into his pocket and took out a small packet of hard, greenish candy, which he then handed to the woman.

"Actually... don't you prefer stomach bitters?" he asked after a moment of thought.

"Don't be silly; do I look sick?"

"Frankly? It's worse; you look like something the cat dragged in. So? Should I give you the medicine?"

"No, thanks. As far as I know you, you'd give me a megadose, and Marty and I just happened to have arrived by car. I'm not going to risk causing an accident on our way back due to the side effects of your stomach bitters. You better watch your caramel and tell me at last about what you wanted to talk to me."

"But you promise you'll tell me the truth?"

"I promise. Go ahead."

"Why didn't you tell me straightaway you were in love with me?"

Velma was silent for a moment.

"It wouldn't have changed anything" she replied finally. "You'd have married Mary Jane anyway."

"But maybe at least I wouldn't have insisted so much that you come to my wedding. It's true that I've never loved you, but I've also never wanted to hurt you. If only I had known before..."

"There's no point in the what-iffing, Shaggy. What's done, can't be undone; we can't change it now. Let's not talk about this anymore, I beg you."

It got quiet.

"Vel" Shaggy began cautiously "can I ask you about one more thing?"

"You can. What is it?"

Shaggy opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything; for suddenly, terrible screams were heard. Both adults without hesitation ran to the room where the kids played. There, they found out that Rose and Jenny were hiding under the bed, while Marty and Chris ran all over the room, pretending to shoot at each other.

"Not again" the clearly displeased Velma groaned and grabbed both boys' collars. "How many times have I told you I don't like it when you two are playing cowboys?" she asked sternly.

"One hundred or so" Chris replied after a moment of thought.

"But, Mom, this time, we weren't playing cowboys" said Marty "but the soldiers of the Civil War, about which Grandpa read to me recently."

"Seems I'll have to talk seriously with Dad" Velma muttered.

"Daddy" Rose spoke, putting her head out of under the bed "what is this strange smell?"

Shaggy quickly sniffed the air and opened his eyes wide.

"The caramel's burning!" he yelled in horror, then ran out of the room.

x

Eventually, the sausages were served with mustard and ketchup, to which Velma reacted with a soft sigh of relief. So, fortunately, no one would get an upset stomach that night.

While Shaggy, with the help of his daughter and Scooby, was cleaning the dishes after supper, Velma (not without some difficulty) convinced the three other children that it was time to go home.

"Thanks for everything, Shaggy" she said, squeezing her friend's hand. "It was nice."

"Heh. No problem" he replied, smiling with slight amusement. "But if you're going to go anywhere, I think you should first put on your shoes and jacket."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Having opened it, Shaggy saw Fred.

"Hello, buddy" he said cheerfully, stepping back a bit to let his friend inside. "You fancy some chocolate to warm up?"

x

Shaggy had to be really sentimental – or totally crazy. How else could it be explained that even though his restaurant had gone bust, he somehow gathered a sum large enough that after returning to Coolsville, he'd been right away able to live in the house where he'd been growing up? After all, for start, he could have rented a nice apartment and have bought the house after developing his new business. That was what the logic indicated, anyway. But, well, he was Shaggy; he didn't always behave logically...

Thinking about it all, Fred came to the Rogerses' old-new home, in a single step skipped all three stairs to the porch and knocked. After a moment, Shaggy opened the door.

"Hello, buddy" he said, letting Fred inside. "You fancy some chocolate to warm up?"

"No, but thanks... Oh!" at this point, Fred noticed Velma, who was trying to get dressed; her task wasn't easy because of the four children clinging to her. "What's going on in here?"

"What? Don't you see?" Velma muttered, detaching Chris, who then immediately clung back to her. "I'm trying to get Jenny and the boys back home."

"Then why did you take off your shoes?" Fred raised one eyebrow.

"Because somebody" Velma quickly cast a glance at Shaggy, Scooby and the children "persuaded me to stay for the movie and the supper... By the way, can anyone help me get free?"

"Oops... sorry, Vel" Shaggy said, pulling away Rose and Jenny.

x

When Fred and Chris came back home, Daphne almost instantly took the boy aside and began to speak with him in hushed voices. Fred, in the meantime, picked up Jerry, who having been released by his mother, toddled over to his father for the ritual kiss goodnight. Carrying his son to the room to put him to sleep, the man heard his wife's (somewhat muffled) joyful squeal. At this point, he lost his last bits of hope that maybe she wasn't planning to secretly matchmake Velma and Shaggy. Daphne was great in the game of feigning but she had one weak point – when she was in strong emotions, such as anger or excitement, she lost control over herself and unwittingly betrayed her intentions. And so, it was almost certain that this movie night at the Rogerses' home had been her idea, and Scooby and the kids made Velma stay there not by coincidence. True, Shaggy also had contributed to this, but he couldn't be blamed; he had no clue what was at stake. And what if Daphne's plan fails...?

Oh brother, what a mess. He had to contact Madelyn and Joe as soon as possible and, with their help, make an emergency plan.

x

On Monday, about one in the afternoon, Daphne straightened up, slightly shook her right hand and smiled slyly. She'd spent the last three hours on writing two, in fact – short, messages, but the effort paid off. She was absolutely sure that no one would recognize her handwriting – especially since those concerned (as well as Fred, Madelyn and Joe) still didn't know a thing about her plans.

Now she only had to find a way to deliver the items to the recipients quickly, yet discreetly.

x

"Sorry, Auntie, but it's uneffortable" Marty shook his head.

"What?" Daphne was surprised.

"Uh... impossible to do."

"Oh, you mean _unenforceable_... But why do you think so?"

"Because today Mom is tutoring this rich dimwit, Johnny Longworth, in Math, and I have to wait for her at Aunt Madelyn's home..."

"So you'll come back together, and most probably late" Daphne finished. "It doesn't matter; I'll handle it" after these words, the woman turned to Rose. "Can I trust you that your dad will find this envelope no later than tomorrow after work, honey?"

"Relax, Aunt Daphne" the girl replied, grinning; at this point she looked like a small, golden-haired copy of her father. "Scooby and I'll definitely think of something."

x

Late in the night, when Marty was already asleep, Velma broke away for a moment from checking the exercises completed by Johnny Longworth whom she was tutoring in mathematics, and opened the envelope, the contents of which intrigued her from the moment when she'd found it in the mailbox a few hours earlier.

It turned out that in the envelope was a note, saying:

_Hello, Velma._

_I'd love to get to know you better. Come to the "Da Pietro" restaurant this Thursday, at 8 p.m. Put on a little black dress and a pearl necklace._

_See you there,_

_Your secret admirer._

_PS – At the entrance, tell the waiter your name._

Velma couldn't believe her eyes. SHE would have a secret admirer? She? A single mother in her (early, but still!) thirties? No, it had to be some kind of silly joke...

"Ah, what the heck" she said to herself finally. "I just will go to this restaurant and check it out; I only need to borrow the necklace from Mom."

x

"Look, Daddy" Rose said the next afternoon, pointing to the lifted plastic flag at the mailbox, standing next to their property. "I think we got a letter; maybe it's from Granny and Grandpa?"

"We'll check" Shaggy said, opening the box and pulling an envelope out of it. "Ha! That's strange; no stamps or return address" he stated after a moment.

"Cool! A mystery!" the girl cheered. "Will we call Grandpa and ask him to help us solve it?"

"It won't be necessary" Shaggy chuckled. "Everything will become clear when we open the envelope... but first let's have dinner, okay?"

After the meal, Rose ran to the hall, only to come back with the envelope, previously found in the mailbox, which she then shoved into the hands of her father.

"Open it! Maybe it's something cool!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Shaggy took his daughter onto his lap, so she wouldn't notice that he was almost suffocating with suppressed laughter, then he reached for the knife, wiped it in a napkin and slit the envelope open. Out of it fell a small piece of paper with the following message:

_Hello, Mr. Rogers._

_I've read about you on the Internet and you really impressed me. I'd love to meet you in person. I currently am in Coolsville due to professional matters. I therefore ask you to come to the "Da Pietro" restaurant on Thursday, at a quarter to eight p.m., and give the waiter your name. You'll recognize me after a little black dress, a silver bolero and a red brooch._

_Regards,_

_Anna._

_PS – Please put a red rose in your buttonhole._

x

"Thanks again for agreeing to take care of Rose and Scooby" Shaggy said on Thursday evening, squeezing Fred and Daphne's hands.

"It's nothing. That's what buddies are for" Fred smiled.

"Besides, Rose needs some contact with her peers" Daphne cut in "and Jerry and Scooby are really hitting it off."

"I'd have to be blind to not to notice it" Shaggy replied half-jokingly, watching his friends' son, sitting on the back of the dog, totally the same way as Rose had used to do it. "Okay, I'm off; I have only ten minutes left" he added, glancing at his watch.

x

"Are you sure that you know what you're doing, baby?" Mr. Dinkley asked, lowering his voice to a whisper, so that Marty wouldn't hear.

"Yes, Dad" Velma answered. "Actually, I think it's just a poor joke, but I'll check it out just in case. Oh, heck, it's already five to eight. I must go. Bye."

"Be careful" her father said, firmly squeezing her hand.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to me" she replied, then left the house.

"I do hope so" the man whispered, watching his elder daughter until she turned around the corner of the building at the end of the street.

x

Shaggy took another sip of his coffee and looked at his watch. He didn't know who this Anna whom he was to meet was, but her behavior was very inappropriate. She was almost half an hour late. Since he was already somewhat bored, he decided to only wait another five minutes; in case she didn't show up, he'd just pay for the coffee and go home, stopping at Fred and Daphne's place on the way to get Rose and Scooby.

Then, he heard footsteps of two people; one of them was undoubtedly a woman, because the clatter of heels was quite strong. The man looked through the openwork folding screen, separating his table from the rest of the room, and indeed – he saw a silhouette of a woman, clad in a short black dress. However, she wasn't the one he was waiting for; he understood this when she sat down at a table – nearby, but nonetheless located behind the screen.

"Excuse me" he heard suddenly.

Having looked up, Shaggy saw the waiter who served him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We've just found a note from the person whom you were to meet. She requests in it to tell you that, for important reasons, she had to leave earlier than planned, and as compensation, offers you a dinner at her expense."

"Thank you for the information, but..." at this point, Shaggy paused because he saw with a corner of his eye that the woman sitting behind the screen had gotten up from her seat and headed toward him.

She didn't notice him; probably because as she was passing, he was obscured by the waiter. However, before she disappeared behind the bathroom door, Shaggy had managed to see that she had dark hair tied up in a bun, a nice, although not very strong, waistline and very pretty calves.

"Do you have any comments to tell me?" the waiter asked finally.

"No, why?" Shaggy replied absentmindedly.

"You used the word 'but'."

Shaggy slightly shook his head and thought about it.

"Indeed" he admitted after a moment. "I was going to ask for the bill, but I think I'll wait a little more. Do you by any chance know if this lady is waiting for someone?"

"Even if I do, I can't tell you. In my line of work, discretion is essential."

x

Velma arrived ten past eight. When the waiter led her to the table, she noticed that no one was waiting for her. Well, apparently she wasn't the only one late. Assuming, of course, that she hadn't been stood up...

_À propos_ – she had to make sure that the wind hadn't made her hair stand up. Having rummaged for a moment in her purse, she pulled a mirror out of it. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too small for her to properly assess the situation. Therefore, she got up from her chair and walked quickly toward the restroom. On the way, she got a feeling that the guy (with a corner of her eye, she saw a suit sleeve, so it had to be a man), from whom she'd been separated with a screen, was staring at her; however, she chased that thought away with a quick shrug.

A few minutes later, when she left the restroom, said guy was so engrossed in studying the menu that he didn't even notice her walk past him. Having returned to her table, the woman discreetly beckoned to her waiter.

"Excuse me, sir" she said softly "has a man asked about me?"

"You mean the one who booked the table for you? He has just called and said that due to health problems he's unable to meet you tonight. Do you wish an aperitif or a starter?"

Velma quickly flipped through the menu. The prices made her dizzy. After a short hesitation, she gave back the menu to the waiter and, turning red like a tomato, almost whispered:

"A coffee is enough. A plain, black espresso without sugar."

The waiter didn't comment on this with a single word. He simply bowed and went to the table behind the screen; probably to take the order from the menu-reading enthusiast. Well, that's just life: some people can eat dinner at elegant restaurants, while others lose their jobs and are forced to watch every penny. But why did the latter situation happen to her, who had to make a living for herself AND her child?

She shook off these gloomy thoughts upon hearing a strange shuffling. It sounded as if someone were folding the screen. Having turned around, she saw that this indeed was the case; she also encountered the gaze of the man who was sitting at the previously hidden table.

This man was Shaggy.

x

The restroom door opened. Shaggy quickly leaned over the menu, so that the graceful stranger wouldn't consider him to be a lout or a psycho. When she went past him, and sat down at her table, he moved on to watching her through the openwork screen. It was all the easier because she sat with her back to him. He saw her call over the waiter, and heard their conversation; taking into account that all this was going on close to him, it wasn't hard... who do we want to fool, anyway? He was flat out listening in. He was lucky that no one caught him on this.

Meanwhile, the woman quickly looked through menu and ordered a coffee. Judging by the fact that her voice was barely audible, she had to be really embarrassed. Therefore, Shaggy called over the waiter.

"Excuse me" he said softly "can I ask you to remove this screen? I don't like feeling isolated."

The waiter just bowed and disappeared into the kitchen. Soon, a tall muscleman showed up, quickly folded the screen and took it out of the room. However, it wasn't without the characteristic shuffling, which caught the attention of the woman from the nearby table. When she turned around, their eyes met and then, Shaggy got stunned.

The mysterious stranger was Velma.

x

For a few seconds they both stared at each other in silence. Eventually Shaggy blinked, rose from his seat, walked over to Velma and smiled at her.

"Hi. Can I sit here?" he asked, pointing to an empty chair.

"Hi. Of course you can" Velma replied, smiling back.

They got quiet again. After a while, Shaggy said:

"You look beautiful."

Velma blushed slightly.

"Thank you. You look very smart yourself" she whispered. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I had an appointment with someone, but it didn't work out" the man shrugged. "Good thing that this person at least offered to pay for my dinner... why are you laughing?"

"I sure hope this person is rich" the woman giggled "because otherwise, as far as I know your appetite, they're in for going bankrupt."

"I can't help it that I have a fast metabolism" Shaggy retorted, grinning again. "It runs in our family. You better tell me why YOU are here."

"I got a message that someone wanted to meet me here, but I've found out..." Velma paused because the waiter showed up.

"Your coffee" he said, putting a cup on the table and marched away, not even waiting for 'thank you'.

"What have you found out?" Shaggy asked so the conversation wouldn't stop.

"That I was stood up" Velma answered. "I can't say I didn't expect it, but still..."

"It made you sad?" the man guessed.

"Well... yes, a little bit. You know, that person left in my mailbox a note signed 'Secret admirer', so I guess I eventually began to delude myself that someone could actually be interested in me" the woman confessed, wincing a bit.

"Hey, don't you feel bad about it" Shaggy put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "This fool doesn't know that he's wasted the chance to meet a unique woman... Now, what do you say for having dinner together?"

This time, Velma turned as red as a tomato, looked down and nervously bit her lower lip.

"I don't have enough money" she muttered after a moment.

"It's no big deal; it's on me."

"On you? or rather on the person with whom you were to meet?" Velma looked doubtfully at Shaggy.

"I invite you, so I pay. Easy" Shaggy shrugged.

x

Meanwhile, in the Joneses' house, while Fred was telling Chris and Rose incredible stories about aliens and monsters (seems that he'd never grown out of the secret reading _National Exaggerator_), and Scooby was playing with the little Jerry, Daphne, watching her younger son, was waiting impatiently for a message from her informant.

At one point, her cell phone rang. The woman quickly left the room and looked at the display; seeing a familiar number, she hastily went to the upper floor and answered the call.

"Hello, Marcus" she said. "How's our experiment?"

A few minutes later, Scooby's sensitive ears caught Daphne's squeal – joyful, though barely audible due to the distance. So, fortunately, everything went like she'd predicted.

x

About half past nine, Shaggy and Velma left the restaurant.

"Thanks for everything" the woman said, squeezing her friend's hand. "If you weren't there, I probably would have been in a nasty mood now."

"Don't mention it, Vel" the man grinned. "Hop in, I'll drive you home" he added, pointing to a dark green car, parked nearby.

"I'd love to, but I have yet to get Marty from my parents' house."

"What's the problem?" Shaggy shrugged. "I'll drop you by your folks' place, and then I'll drive you and the kid home. It's late; you shouldn't walk around the city by yourself."

x

It was Monday, October 4. This afternoon, about midway between dessert and supper, Rose came out of her room, went down into the living room, where her father and Scooby watched the TV news, and with a pained expression, she announced:

"I can't do the math homework. This multiplication and division is all Greek to me."

"You want me to explain it?" Shaggy guessed, turning off the TV.

"Uh-huh" the girl nodded.

Half an hour later, Shaggy had to surrender. So what if he wasn't all that dumb in mathematics, if he couldn't pass his knowledge?

"Well, what are we gonna do, Scooby Doo?" he asked, looking helplessly at the dog, who lay on the carpet beside Rose's bed, watching the fruitless efforts of his master.

"Rutoring" Scooby opined.

"So you know someone who certainly will be able to help?" Shaggy asked ironically.

"Relma" the dog said shortly. "Or rer rad." (Tr.: _Velma. Or her dad._)

Shaggy pondered about it. He remembered very well that when he'd been fourteen, he'd been slacking because of his several-week-long crush on a girl from his class, and as a result, he was threatened with getting F's in math and physics. It was then that his parents asked Velma's father for help. Mr. Dinkley had the habit of venting his anger on (always the same) cushion from the couch, whenever someone didn't understand something in spite of repeated explanations. After the first three meetings, the poor cushion had almost been ripped to shreds; later, probably due to Mrs. Dinkley's intervention, all cushions had disappeared from the couch. Fortunately, about that same time Shaggy, surveyed at home by his parents, had begun to gradually comprehend what do all these equations with x do; and then, to his slight surprise, he discovered that the physics wasn't so scary either. So, after all, Mr. Dinkley had done a great job, making the student threatened with F's finish the semester with B's – but the 'basic work' was something that Velma was doing better, combining her father's extraordinary intelligence and her mother's boundless patience.

"All right" Shaggy said finally. "I'll call Velma right away and ask her if she could find some time tomorrow afternoon."

* * *

><p><strong>* – Sausage in caramel sauce is a part of Polish cuisine. My family thinks it's very tasty, but I strongly support Velma in this case, because frankly, I feel sick from mere smell of the "specialty". :**

**Oh, one more thing – this year, I have to write my bachelor thesis; so it's unlikely that the next chapter appears quickly, because I'll be forced to create it "by fits and starts".**

**See you next time!**

**VerMa**


	8. Art thou my love or maybe just a friend?

**Hello! :)**

**Welcome to another, the eighth, chapter of this story, in which the action finally speeds up a bit. This also had an impact on its length - it took almost 15 pages in MS Word. :P**

**The title is a reference to _Uncertainty_, a poem by one of the most famous Polish poets, Adam Mickiewicz, translated by Jarek Zawadzki. You can find it on Wikisource.**

**I hope that while reading this chapter, you will have as much fun as I did while writing it. ;)**

**Regards,**

**VerMa.**

* * *

><p>Late afternoon on October 5, Madelyn and Joe were in a quiet CEO's office, which Fred took over from his father-in-law a few years earlier, along with the whole company.<p>

"As you can see, we must do something about it" Fred concluded, having ended telling his friends about his discoveries; he was so upset that he didn't even notice when he started to circulate between his desk and the window. "Daphne may mean well, but if she doesn't succeed, she'll only unnecessarily hurt Velma or Shaggy."

"Or maybe even both of them at the same time" Madelyn pointed out.

"Yeah, but how can WE help it?" Joe asked. "Daphne is street-wise and certainly won't confess to these shenanigans of hers."

"Alas, I know it" Fred sighed. "And, alas, I also know that if she has a goal in mind, she'll do anything to achieve it, and become unpredictable; and this means that we need an emergency plan."

"But... Daphne's not stupid" Madelyn cut in. "If we thwart her plans, she'll surely notice."

"And she can even consider us her enemies" Joe added.

"Did I say I was going to stop her?" Fred grinned.

"So what? We're going to help her?" Joe snorted. "After we've told her to give it a rest? She'll think we're hypocrites, you'll see."

"No. Daphne doesn't have to, and even CAN'T, know about our plan" Fred replied. "The point is that we know what to do if she fails."

"Which is actually quite possible" Joe muttered.

"Cut it to the chase, Fred" said Madelyn. "What exactly is your idea?"

x

Aunt Daphne had been right; people did fall for the "dumb blonde" stereotype very easily. It was enough to blink innocently and make an unhappy face until you got the simplest explanation possible; that was how Rose had managed to convince her dad and Marty's mom that she needed tutoring in math and science. "Ms. Velma" would come to her twice a week, on Tuesdays and on Fridays, and for two hours she'd explain the lessons to her in simple words; then, unfortunately, she'd have to go to her next tutee. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, the girl couldn't wait for her tutor's next visit and never missed the opportunity to cuddle up to her.

At the same time, Shaggy would usually be busy with preparing the dinner and discreetly watching the course of his daughter's learning. Fortunately, his memory hadn't failed him. Velma would patiently answer all, even quite silly, questions of the kid and compliment even minor progress – which didn't mean that she wouldn't point out the errors. Still, something wasn't right about her; Shaggy sensed this quite clearly, though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was.

On Tuesday, October 26, after only half an hour of the meeting, Rose came running into the kitchen and announced with an anxious look on her face:

"I think Ms. Velma fainted."

Shaggy blinked and looked at her in surprise. Firstly, the term "Ms. Velma" sounded strange to him, and secondly – as far as he remembered, Velma didn't have the habit of fainting like that. The man felt as if he had a lump in his throat, but decided not to show his anxiety to his daughter.

"Come on, let's check on her" he said, taking her hand, and they both went to the living room.

Once they got there, it turned out that the concerns of the girl (and her father) were unfounded. Velma was asleep, leaning against the headrest of the couch. While putting her in a more comfortable position, Shaggy noticed an old photo of his gang, hanging on a wall, and realized why he'd felt recently that something was odd about Velma. She was exhausted; it showed in her ashen complexion, the dark circles under her eyes and her slightly sunken cheeks. The last time he'd seen her in such a state had been many years ago, when she'd been unfortunate enough to get captured by a thug who then had forgotten where he'd left her. Thus, she'd spent a whole week on an attic with a leaky roof; she hadn't dehydrated only because there'd been a few rainy days. When she'd been found, she'd been hungry and cold, not to mention slightly claustrophobic for quite some time after all this...

"What now, Daddy?" Rose asked suddenly.

"Shh..." her father put a finger to his lips. "We won't wake her up. Take your notebooks and go to the kitchen; today, you'll try to do your homework without help, okay?"

The girl nodded, quickly gathered her stuff and tiptoed out of the room. Meanwhile, Shaggy covered Velma with a blanket, which he always kept at hand in case of a family movie night, and followed his daughter, trying not to make any noise.

x

About an hour later, Scooby, trying to scrounge some pre-dinner Scooby-snacks from his master, heard something like a muffled yawn.

"Raggy" he said "ri rink Relma roke rup." (Tr.: _Shaggy, I think Velma woke up._)

"I'll check it" Shaggy replied, turning off the fire under the onion soup pot and, just to be on the safe side, hiding the snacks box on the top shelf in a cupboard hanging nearby. "Rose, my little flower, take out the plates and cutlery" he added, before leaving the room.

As it turned out, Scooby was right. Velma sat on the couch, yawning heavily and rubbing her eyes dazedly.

"How did you sleep?" Shaggy asked.

Velma stiffened up and looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"I really did fall asleep?" she made sure.

Her friend just nodded.

"Then why didn't you wake me? What time is it, anyway?" the woman demanded, jumping to her feet.

"You looked tired. And you still have over half an hour to your usual leaving time" Shaggy answered in a soothing voice. "Come on, dinner's ready."

x

After the dinner, Shaggy sent Rose to her room, telling Scooby to keep an eye on her just in case; then, he took Velma by the wrist and looked into her eyes. He could swear he'd seen an unusual, unhealthy glint in them, but before he could make sure, the woman looked down.

"Velma" the man said seriously "we need to talk."

"About what?"

"I want you to answer honestly to one simple question. Is everything okay?"

"Sure. I don't understand why you ask" Velma lied. She couldn't let Shaggy know her secret; otherwise, he most probably would start feeling sorry for her, and maybe he'd even try to force her to accept some money... No, she couldn't live with such a humiliation.

"Because I'm worried about you" her friend gingerly stroked her hair. "You're much skinnier than before. Please, tell me the truth. What's going on? Are you sick or what?"

"It's nothing, really. I just have a lot to do these days" the woman replied.

"If you want, I can help you..."

"No, thanks, I can handle it; it's just a temporary turbulence."

Shaggy looked at Velma in disbelief.

"I guess you haven't seen yourself in the mirror lately. You look exhausted; if this goes on, you'll eventually wear yourself to a shadow."

"Don't exaggerate, I'll be fine. Oh, heck, look at the time; I must be going."

"But..."

"We'll finish this conversation next time, I promise. I really have to go now."

x

There was no next time. On Friday, October 29, after nearly an hour of futile waiting, Shaggy was forced to make his daughter face the sad truth.

"Seems Velma won't come today, sugar" he said, putting his hands on the shoulders of the girl who stood at the window with her nose glued to the glass.

"How come?" Rose turned around and looked at him with sad eyes. "She doesn't like us anymore?"

"Don't talk nonsense" Dad squatted down beside her, hugged her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure it's not the case."

"Then why she's not here yet?"

"Good question" the man admitted. "I'll call her right away and find out what's going on."

Listening to the long beeps in the earpiece, Shaggy was becoming increasingly nervous. Why no one answered? What could have happened?

Finally, however, at the other end of the line, there was a trembling, childish voice:

"H-h-hello...?"

"Chill, Marty, it's Shaggy Rogers; I'm Rose's dad, remember?"

"Y-ye-yes" the boy replied, sniffling.

"Hey, do you have a cold or are you crying?" Shaggy worried. "What's going on?"

"M-m-mo-mom-ma..." Marty whimpered and began to cry aloud.

"What happened to her?" now, Shaggy was beginning to really be afraid.

Marty, however, was unable to say anything more.

"Hold on, kid. I'll be right there" Shaggy assured him, then hung up and with a serious face looked at his daughter. "Get dressed quickly" he told her. "I'll drive you and Scooby to Fred and Daphne's place."

"Why? What happened?"

"Certainly nothing good. Now, quick, put on a jacket and boots; I'll get Scooby."

x

About twenty minutes later, Shaggy was already knocking the door of Velma and Marty's flat. It wasn't long until the lock clicked, and in the doorway stood the weeping boy.

"What happened?" Shaggy asked, going inside. "Where's your mom?"

Marty pointed to the door leading to the bedroom. Shaggy, without saying a word, took him in his arms and went to the room. What he found there, frightened him.

Velma was lying on her couch, holding her head and moaning softly in pain. She was very pale, except for the brick-red flush on her face, and clearly weakened; her entire body trembled. Shaggy, just to make sure, touched her forehead and cheeks; they were hot with fever, and this wasn't a good sign. When Velma felt the touch of his hand – cool in comparison to her face – she lifted her eyelids and met his gaze.

"Shaggy...!" she croaked, horrified. So her secret was out; Shaggy would now most probably think she was an irresponsible youngster who shouldn't have become a mother. "Shaggy, I..." she began, wanting to somehow explain it all to him, but got interrupted by a strong cough fit.

She didn't fall off the couch only because Shaggy held her in place.

"Easy" he said gently. "Everything will be fine. Marty, give me a blanket and get dressed, but hurry. We're going to hospital."

x

Having handed Velma over to doctors, Shaggy called the Dinkleys to inform them about the whole thing, and started taking care of Marty, who'd been crying into his shirt for quite a long time. Hot chocolate from the hospital buffet proved to be a pretty effective calming substance; soon, the boy limited himself to sniffling, to which, in turn, handkerchiefs were a good solution.

"What did your mom come down with, actually?" Shaggy asked at one point.

"I don't know" Marty admitted.

"You mean she didn't see a doctor about it?!" the man exclaimed in shock.

The boy shook his head.

"She said it was only a cold, and that I shouldn't tell anyone because she'd soon be okay again... Will... will Mom die?" he asked suddenly, grabbing Shaggy's hand and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Of course not; she's very brave, after all."

"But..." Marty hesitated "but Rose once said that her mom died because she was sick..."

"It's true" Shaggy admitted, feeling his heart sink at the mention of Mary Jane "but it was a different disease. Your mom will pull through, you'll see" he added, taking the boy to his lap and giving him a strong hug.

x

When Marty finally calmed down, Shaggy took him to the waiting room in the main hall, where they were to meet with the boy's grandparents. And indeed – after a while, footsteps of two persons could be heard approach. These people were Velma's parents; they both looked very worried.

"How is she?" Mr. Dinkley asked, shaking hands with Shaggy instead of saying 'hello'.

"Very ill and weak" Shaggy replied softly to not be heard by Marty, who was clinging to his grandmother for dear life "but the doctors didn't want to tell me anything more, because I'm not from the family. I just hope that they'll help her get better."

"So do I" the older man admitted. "Well then, I'll go and find out how is she doing and what is she ill with, actually. You can go home now, my boy; we can handle it."

"I'll wait for you, sir. I also want to know why Velma fell ill."

Shaggy spent the next half an hour mostly on watching posters with first aid instructions; the conversation with Mrs. Dinkley was rather awkward, despite their best intentions. Maybe because they both were worried sick, but tried not to show it for Marty's sake.

Suddenly, there were somebody's quick steps. Turning away from the poster he was just reading ("In case of choking"; he hoped this knowledge would never be useful), Shaggy saw Madelyn, Velma's younger sister, almost running toward him. The collision seemed inevitable; at one point, however, the woman slightly changed her run track, passed the man and, slightly panting, stopped by her mother.

"How is Velma?" she asked straight away; her stifled voice made it clear that she was worried no less than her parents were.

"We still don't know" Mrs. Dinkley replied softly. "Dad went to speak with the doctors. Frankly, he should have been back long ago. I hope this doesn't mean that..." at this point, she fell silent, as if not wanting to let in the thought that the worst might have happened.

"Don't worry, Grandma" Marty spoke. "Mr. Rogers said that Mom will be okay because she's very brave."

Only then did Madelyn see Shaggy who, just in case, stood a bit aside. Since he didn't move when she tried to call him over with a gesture, she came up to him.

"Hi" she said simply. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a coincidence" he replied in a low voice. "Vel was supposed to tutor my kid today, but didn't show up, so I went to her and found her on the couch of hers. She had a terrible fever..."

"Fortunately, doctors managed to lower it" Mr. Dinkley cut in, having just returned from his reconnaissance mission. "But that doesn't change the fact that Velma is seriously ill."

"What's wrong with her, then?" his wife asked, tightly hugging Marty, on whose face fear showed again.

"Exhaustion of the body, undernourishment and ignored flu, plus probable bronchitis."

Upon hearing this, Marty began crying out loud, escaped from his grandmother's embrace and ran towards the ward where his mom was.

"Way to go, Dad" Madelyn said wryly.

Meanwhile, Shaggy caught up with the little runaway and once again gave him a strong hug.

"Easy, kid" he said in a gentle voice. "Everything will be fine."

"Y-you th-thi-think so?" the boy stammered, staring at him with his teary, gray eyes.

"Of course. Your mom loves you very much, so she's definitely not going to die and leave you alone."

"B-but... but Grandpa s-sa-said that M-m-mom is ve-ery ill..." Marty whimpered.

"Listen" Shaggy squatted down and seriously looked into the boy's eyes "your mom is under the care of a crowd of doctors, so there is no way that she can die, you get it?" of course, the 'crowd of doctors' part was an exaggeration, but Marty did calm down, and that was the point.

"Yes" the boy answered.

"Well, come on, then. Let's go back to your grandparents and aunt."

As it turned out, the Dinkleys and Madelyn had managed to have a quick family conference and agree that for the time of Velma's stay in the hospital, Marty would live with his grandparents.

"Now sit down and tell me everything" Madelyn demanded when her parents walked the boy outside.

Shaggy had no choice. He had to obey her.

x

"Ugh, I'm so going to tell her a thing or two as soon as she gets better" Madelyn muttered, having heard Shaggy's whole story. "I've warned her it would end badly for her."

"What do you mean?" the man was surprised.

"For several weeks, she's been giving private lessons all day long; as far as I know, she hardly ever slept and had little to no time for eating. I've told her this would ruin her health, but of course, it rolled off her like water off a duck's back."

"And you didn't tell anyone? Not even your parents?"

"ESPECIALLY not our parents" Madelyn rectified. "I didn't want to worry them pointlessly. Mom's been having heart problems for a few years now and as for Dad... Velma has always been the apple of his eye; I think you know that."

x

Exactly one week later, on November 5, Shaggy, as usual, came to pick up Rose after classes. However, he was really surprised when up to him ran Marty who was about to go home with his grandmother.

"You were right" the boy said cheerfully. "Mom will be okay; she told me that when I saw her yesterday. Plus, Grandma and Grandpa say you're a hero" he added, staring at the man in admiration.

"Me?" now, Shaggy was even more surprised than before.

"Yes, you" Mrs. Dinkley confirmed, coming up to him and squeezing his hand. "The doctor who takes care of her said that if she'd gone to hospital a day or two later, she might have not survived. In short: you saved her life. Thank you."

x

The next day, Velma was terribly bored, despite several magazines brought to her by her sister. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, though.

"Come in" the woman croaked, trying to sit up. In vain; she was too weak for that. She could only fall back on the pillow with a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, Shaggy came into the room, carrying a vase with a bouquet of white tulips, which he then placed on the bedside table.

"It's for you" he said simply, then sat down on the edge of the bed. "How are you?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Well, I'm not in my best shape, but I plan to live some more" Velma joked. "You don't have to make such a grim face."

Shaggy frowned.

"This isn't funny" he said. "When you got here, you had one foot in the grave. The doctors barely managed to save you. How could you get yourself in such a state, anyway? Why didn't you ask anyone for help?"

"I have my dignity" Velma replied as proudly as her hoarse throat allowed her. "I don't give up without a fight."

"And Marty?! You have any idea how close you were to making him an orphan?!" Shaggy shouted angrily, leaping to his feet.

"Oh, come on" Velma winced slightly. "I've heard enough lectures; first from Maddie, then from my parents, from Joe and from Fred, and as if that weren't enough, Daphne burst into here yesterday, furious as never, and made a scene..."

"You know what? You deserved it! Because of this stupid pride of yours, you almost killed yourself!"

"Don't exaggerate. We were getting by until I caught this damn flu..."

The man anxiously looked at the woman, who immediately regretted not having bitten her tongue.

"What do you mean by 'getting by'?" Shaggy asked finally.

"Nothing."

"You're lying; otherwise, you wouldn't look away."

Oh jinkies, he was right. She had to think fast before... oh, too late. Shaggy gently turned her face to his and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Velma" he began seriously "I want you to tell me the whole truth. Why did you ruin your health?"

"So Marty wouldn't be hungry."

"Couldn't you ask your boss for a raise?"

Velma shook her head.

"I lost my job almost two months ago" she explained softly.

"Wait. If I'm not mistaken, you're the only breadwinner of your family, so the law protects you" Shaggy remarked. "What's the name of this scoundrel who fired you?"

"Bankruptcy" the woman muttered, hoping that it would do the trick. She was wrong.

"How did it happen?" her friend inquired.

"I see you won't let it go until you reach your goal" Velma sighed.

"I certainly won't" Shaggy replied firmly. "Enough with all these understatements, evasions and fibs. Spill it: where did you work?"

"In an uptown motel."

"What were you doing there?"

"At first, I was the accountant. Then, the crisis came, so we had fewer guests. When the job cuts started, I took over the duties of one of the receptionists, but it didn't improve the situation. Finally, the fizzle came and I had to start looking for a new job; so far, I haven't found anything."

"How's that possible? You're the most talented person I know. You should be flooded with great job offers."

"Great job offers are for people who are available 24 hours a day, not for single mothers" Velma croaked. "That's why..."

At this point, Shaggy put his hand on her lips.

"Save your voice. Now I understand everything" he said gently. "I'll help you; I don't yet know how, but I will. And I'm sure the rest of gang and your family won't leave you alone, either. Just stop playing heroine and pretending everything's fine, if it isn't. You get it?"

In response, Velma smiled and nodded. Tears sparkled in her eyes, but deep in her heart, she had a feeling that now, finally, her luck would change.

x

On Monday, November 15, Velma was discharged from the hospital; Marty was so glad with it that he clung to his mom as soon as his grandfather had brought her home and didn't let go of her until just before dinner.

"You know what's the coolest thing of all?" he asked merrily between one spoonful of chicken soup and another. "Grandma and Grandpa said that now we're going to live with them."

"Really?" Velma looked at her parents in amazement.

"Yes" Mr. Dinkley replied. "You can't return to a place as cold as your flat."

"Besides, during the convalescence, you should be resting, not worrying about the housework" Mrs. Dinkley added.

"So, Mom?" Marty gently tugged Velma's hand. "Cool, isn't it?"

"Yes, cool" she replied and kissed her son's forehead.

Two days later, taking advantage of the nice weather (and the fact that it was almost time for a walk with Jerry), Daphne decided to take Velma to a little afternoon stroll. It turned out, however, that about half an hour before, Mrs. Dinkley had come up with a similar idea and sent Velma and Marty to the park.

"Do you think I'll still find them there?" Daphne made sure.

"Certainly; you know how hard it is to get Marty away from the playground out there."

x

The sunny weather was found good also by Shaggy, who took Rose and Scooby to the park to search for the last autumn leaves. As they passed the playground, the girl noticed a familiar, black mop of hair. Marty was sitting on one of the swings and tried to get himself fly all the way up, almost to the sky, from which his mother was stopping him, standing slightly aside, and every now and then catching one of the bars on which the swing was suspended.

"Hi, Marty! Hello, Ms. Velma!" Rose exclaimed, running up to the woman and clinging to her.

This surprised Velma so much that she missed two crucial moments: when her son was gaining momentum and when, having pushed with all his strength, he flew up to the top of the frame. As a result, the boy lost his grip and got sent into the air. It's hard to tell who was more horrified at that point – Marty or Velma, who cried briefly, got Rose off herself and ran to the place where, according to her (very hasty and not too accurate) calculations, her son was to land.

Shaggy, who saw the whole thing from his spot on the sidewalk, almost immediately realized that in her nervousness, Velma had miscalculated the trajectory of her child and stopped too early. There was no time to lose. The man took a few big steps back and caught the boy in the appropriate moment; unfortunately, while doing so, he lost his balance and they both fell to the lawn.

"Jinkies! It... it was a bit scary!" Marty said, his voice trembling slightly.

Shaggy got up, put the boy to his feet and looked at him sternly.

"A bit?" he echoed wryly. "Your mom almost got a heart attack."

Just as said it, the annoyed Velma came up to them.

"You realize you could have died?!" she screamed, hugging her son so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"I'm sorry" the boy meekly hung his head.

"Me too" Rose said, walking over to Velma and pulling her hand. "It's all my fault..."

"Rat's rot rue" Scooby consoled her, nudging her arm with his nose. (Tr.: _That's not true._)

"Thanks, Scooby" the girl hugged the dog.

"Thank you. You've saved Marty's life" Velma looked straight into Shaggy's eyes with seriousness. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you for it."

"Actually" the man said slowly "I've got an offer for you..."

x

Daphne was still quite far from the park's playground when in the figures, gathered near the swings, she recognized Velma, Shaggy, their children and Scooby; however, she didn't dare come closer, to not frighten Shaggy and Velma, who were having a lively discussion about something. Suddenly, Velma grabbed Shaggy by the hand, as if demanding an answer to a question; when he nodded, she threw arms around his neck... and kissed him. True, it was only on the cheek, but still, she kissed him. He in turn, instead of escaping or even slightly retreating, put his arms around her waist and made a pretty pirouette.

At this sight, Daphne felt pleasant warmth in her heart and unwittingly stretched her lips in a half-tender, half-triumphant smile. So – in spite of what Fred, Madelyn and Joe had said – with the help of the children and Scooby, she managed to get Shaggy fall in love with Velma, and _vice versa_. She just wondered if they'd already fixed the date of their wedding.

"We're not going to bother you, lovebirds" Daphne whispered and quietly disappeared into one of the side alleys, pushing the stroller with the little Jerry.

x

"You have no idea how glad I am that you said yes" said Shaggy, putting Velma back on the ground.

"How could I say no?" she smiled and hugged him tightly. "It's the most wonderful proposition ever made to me. I just don't understand why you chose me. After all, I'm penniless."

"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't find anyone better than you, even if I were searching for one hundred years" the man replied seriously. "Hey, wait a minute, why are you crying?" he asked in surprise, seeing two streams of tears run down his friend's face.

"It's nothing" the woman whispered and smiled again. "I'm just happy."

"And I'm hungry" Marty announced, pulling his mother's jacket's sleeve.

"Me too" Rose cut in, staring sweetly at her father.

"Then how about going to a nice place for a dinner together?" Shaggy suggested.

"I think I have a better idea" Velma said. "Let's go to my parents. They'll be thrilled when I tell them about your offer."

x

The next day, when Marty and his gang were still in school, Velma went to the Joneses' home to share the good news with her best friend. Of course, she could have waited for Fred to get back from work so he could hear it, too, but she was so excited that she was unable to stay in one spot. Besides, as far as she knew Daphne, she certainly wouldn't fail to pass the big news to her husband.

Daphne was just feeding Jerry with some porridge, mixed with pieces of apple and banana, when the doorbell rang. The woman was wise enough to put the bowl and the spoon on the counter (Jerry tended to drop everything to the floor) and went to open the door. Having seen the beaming Velma, she made a surprised face, but in fact, she felt like grinning triumphantly. She'd been sure that her friend would show up soon to tell her what she already knew since yesterday.

"Hi, kiddo" Daphne joked, letting Velma inside.

"Hi, Daph" Velma replied simply, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the first empty peg. "You do realize I'm not a child since a long time?" she added in a seemingly indignant voice, though her smile said something utterly different.

Only then did Daphne realize how long she hadn't seen her friend's genuine smile – and how much she missed it.

"I see you're in high spirits" she remarked merrily, leading Velma to the kitchen and seating her at the table. "Has something nice happened to you, and I don't know about it?" she asked innocently, returning to feeding her son.

"'Something nice' is an understatement" Velma said, grinning. "Yesterday, Shaggy offered me something wonderful..."

x

Meanwhile, at school, during the long break, Marty and Rose, every now and then cutting each other off, told Chris and Jenny what happened in the park and what was later.

"You should regret you weren't there, when Mom told Grandma and Grandpa what Mr. Rogers offered her" Marty added at the end. "Grandpa almost cried, and Grandma took out from the pantry this big jar of jam blueberry, which she kept for a special occasion."

"Your grandma's blueberry jam is delicious" Chris said dreamily. "You think there's still some left?" he asked with hope.

"Are you kidding?" Rose giggled. "Scooby ate almost a half of it by himself."

"So all in all, seems like Aunt Daphne's plan went well" Jenny remarked. "Mr. Rogers and Aunt Velma will now see each other every day... or almost every day, so sooner or later, they certainly will get married."

x

Daphne barely stopped a disappointed groan. So Shaggy's wonderful proposition was... a job? Of course, there was nothing wrong with this – after all, Velma couldn't put up with being unemployed for long – but still, she thought it was a marriage proposal, or at least a declaration of love...

"So, Daph, isn't that great?" asked the overjoyed Velma.

"That he found you a job?" Daphne shrugged slightly. "Sure, it's nice of him, but is it a reason to be so excited?"

"Have you listened to me at all?" now, Velma looked annoyed. "I said Shaggy had recovered a large part of the money which his former employee had stolen from him, and decided to start a new restaurant here, in Coolsville. And the best part is that he wants me to do the accounting for him and, attention, be the co-owner of his diner."

Daphne's eyes widened.

"S-se-seriously?" she stammered.

"I couldn't believe it either, but Shaggy said he wasn't joking. Of course, we have yet to do all the official procedure and buy or rent a place, but I think that in early December, we'll be able to invite you to the grand opening" Velma chattered, blushing with excitement.

"You already have an ad concept?" Daphne wanted to know.

Velma froze momentarily.

"We haven't talked about this yet" she admitted sheepishly. "We haven't even come up with a name for our business."

"Then what did you talk about?" Daphne smiled gently.

"Mainly about organizing the care for children and Scooby" Velma retorted and glanced at the kitchen clock. "Oh well, I'm off; I still have to do some shopping. Bye!" she added and left through the kitchen door.

Having made sure that her friend had really gone away, Daphne screamed with joy and made a few pirouettes. Although she hadn't foreseen this turn of events, it actually simplified her task a lot. After all, nothing brings people close better than just being together; and Velma and Shaggy would now spend a lot of time with each other...

x

The restaurant "Mystery", with the name and décor proposed by Daphne, was opened on Wednesday, December 1. During the banquet for this occasion, Fred pulled Shaggy a bit aside and said softly:

"There's something I don't understand, buddy. Why haven't you had this party on Monday? You've lost two days."

Shaggy laughed.

"A new month, a new phase in life" he explained simply. "Besides, Vel said this would make the monthly clearings easier for her."

"It actually makes sense" Fred admitted with a smile. "Listen..." he added hesitantly, wondering if he should warn his friend about Daphne's intentions.

"What is it?" Shaggy looked at him curiously.

"Don't let her overwork herself again" Fred finished, having concluded that revealing Daphne's plans would, however, be too risky.

"Don't worry, I'll have an eye on her" Shaggy assured him, then glanced at Velma and smiled.

The restaurant was a smash among the Coolsville citizens – presumably thanks to the advertising campaign, invented by Shaggy and realized with the help from Joe, who had the leaflets printed for an attractive price, and from Daphne, who voluntarily took on distributing them. As a result, there were so many consumers that after just one week Shaggy had to hire a sous-chef, to keep up with the cooking, and a waitress so Velma wouldn't have to run fretfully between the tables and the cash register. Of course, it wasn't a perfect arrangement yet, but Shaggy knew from experience that the staff should be increased only in case of need – and with the budget in mind.

Days went by. Although she _de facto_ worked two jobs at once, Velma was doing quite well with organizing her work time; no matter how many customers she had to attend, the daily clearing was ready at most half an hour after closing the place. Moreover, she managed to be polite and smiling all day, even when it was obvious she was tired. Sometimes, when there were a little fewer consumers, Shaggy would come close to the door, separating the kitchen from the main room, and look through the pane at Velma, standing with her side to him; upon seeing her, he'd smile, and a wave of warmth would flood his heart. It was nice, albeit a little weird; ever since he'd lost Mary Jane, no one but his daughter was able to cause such a reaction from him. However, Velma had a smile so lovely that he couldn't react in a different way.

x

"What is it?" Velma asked on Tuesday, December 21, fiddling with a small packet, which Shaggy had handed her.

"A Christmas gift for you" he replied. "Tomorrow morning, we leave for Plymouth, 'cause I've promised Rose we'd spend Christmas there."

"What about the restaurant?"

"Maybe you'd better not open it till I get back. In the holiday season, there usually are terrible crowds; I don't want you to overwork... Well, won't you open your gift?"

Having carefully unfolded the red-and-gold paper, Velma saw a dark red box. When she opened it, she found out it contained a silver pendant shaped like a five-petal flower, decorated with cubic zirconia (at least she hoped so) and put on a silver chain.

"Really?" the woman looked at her friend wide-eyed.

"Sure" the man grinned. "You always looked nice in necklaces, so I thought it would be a cool gift. Hey, hey, what's up? You don't like it?" he asked surprised, seeing embarrassment on his friend's face.

"No, it's not that" Velma replied, blushing slightly. "It just... turned out a bit awkward. My gift for you isn't ready yet..."

Shaggy for a moment chewed on his lower lip, but finally he burst out with a loud, hearty laugh.

"Don't worry about that" he said when he'd calmed down a bit. "You can give it to me after Christmas."

x

It was evening on Christmas Eve. While Grandma and Aunt Maggie were busy with preparing dinner, and Grandpa, Uncle Will and dad sat in the living room and talked, Rose was playing with her two years younger cousin, Lily – of course, under Scooby's watchful eye.

"You know what? I'll tell you a secret" Rose said at one point. "But remember, you can't spread it, okay?"

"Sure" Lily nodded enthusiastically.

"So listen" the elder girl moved closer to the younger one. "I'll have a new mom" she whispered, excited.

"I don't get it" the surprised Lily admitted.

"It's simple. You remember this picture with your mom, my dad, Scooby and their friends?"

"Yes. But what does it have in common?"

"I'll explain it to you. They all live in Coolsville and have children."

"Wait" Lily frowned "in the picture, besides your dad, there was just one boy; the one who was hugging dis redhead girl..."

"You mean 'this', you silly" Rose corrected her. "But yes, it's true; they're Uncle Fred and Aunt Daphne. They have two sons: Chris is as old as me, and Jerry is still tiny. There's also Aunt Madelyn, the other girl with long hair, who married Uncle Joe; they're the parents of Jenny, who's in my class, too. Well, and Ms. Velma..."

"'Miss'? Not 'Aunt'?" her cousin was surprised.

"No. Ms. Velma will be my new mom, so I can't call her Aunt. Wait a bit more, and you'll understand all. Ms. Velma, that girl who in the picture has short hair, is Aunt Madelyn's sister and Marty's mom, but she has no husband, so..."

"Why she has no husband?" Lily wanted to know. "He went to heaven, like your mom?"

"No. Marty's dad just didn't marry her, but left before Marty was born."

"Like Annette and Luc's dad?"

"Exactly like him. And that's why Aunt Daphne said it would be cool if my dad married Marty's mom, because we would be one big family."

"And what your dad and the Selma lady think about it?"

"Not Selma, but Velma. She and Dad still don't know about it, because Aunt Daphne said that first, we have to make them fall in love" Rose added. "And you know what? For now, we're doing pretty well."

"Girls" Grandma said, peering into the room "please, tell Grandpa and company that dinner is ready."

"Great!" Rose cheered. "I'm starving!"

"Re roo!" Scooby added, wagging his tail.

"So let's go!" Lily exclaimed, grabbing her cousin's hand.

The two girls, with a loud pit-a-pat, ran toward the living room. They were about to go inside when Rose stopped dead; having stopped her cousin, with a gesture, she ordered her to be quiet and moved closer to the crack between the door and its frame to hear better.

"It seems you have a crush" said Uncle Will.

'A crush'? What does it mean? Aunt Daphne would surely know.

x

Meanwhile, Shaggy, unaware that his daughter and niece were eavesdropping at the door, turned red, jumped up from his armchair and stood over his brother in law.

"ME? Having a crush?" he shouted in anger. "I've loved only Mary Jane!"

"So what?" asked calmly Mr. Rogers Senior.

"What do you mean?" Shaggy turned to his father and looked at him indignantly. "I vowed fidelity to her, didn't I?"

"Aren't you exaggerating a bit? Mary Jane died more than eight years ago. Even you no longer wear black" Wilfred remarked wryly.

"I am exaggerating?" Shaggy bellowed furiously, grabbing his brother in law by the shirt and lifting him into the air like a feather.

"Hey, put me down!" the scared Wilfred cried.

"Not until you apologize!"

Suddenly, in the crack in the doorway, the older Mr. Rogers saw the blond curls of his elder granddaughter and the red hair of the younger. Oh, wonderful.

"NORVILLE!" he yelled, annoyed. "Put Wilfred down right now and calm down! The girls are watching!"

Shaggy and Wilfred like on cue looked toward the door, as if expecting to see someone other than their own daughters.

"I'm sorry" Shaggy muttered, putting his brother-in-law down.

"Me too" he answered, shaking his hand. "It turned out bad."

"What is it, girls?" Mr. Rogers Senior asked.

"Grandma said dinner's ready" Rose explained.

"Then let's go" Wilfred replied. "Frankly, I'm hungry."

"Hold on, son. I have something to tell you" Mr. Rogers spoke, when he was left alone with Shaggy.

"What is it?"

"Nothing terrible, don't worry. I thought Mary Jane probably wouldn't have wanted Rose to grow up without a mother... but it's only my opinion. The final decision is up to you."

x

About half past nine p.m., Rose, who in theory should already be asleep, slipped out of her room, crept into the kitchen, picked up the phone and dialed the Joneses' number.

"Hi, Aunt Daphne, it's me, Rose" she said softly, having heard a female voice.

"Hi, honey" Daphne yawned. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I have an important question for you."

"Can't it wait to the morning?"

"I'm afraid I'll forget. Auntie, what it means to have a crush?"

"Why are you asking?" Daphne's voice was now much alert than before.

"'Cause I heard Uncle Will saying that Dad has a crush. So, what does it mean?"

"This means that he began falling in love with Velma."

The girl wasn't able to stop a squeal of joy. Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hallway, and a moment later, bright light from ceiling lamp flooded the kitchen. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a tall, thin, blonde-haired woman stand in the doorway.

"It's not good, Aunt Daphne. Aunt Maggie found me" she whispered.

"Rose, what on earth are you up to?" Maggie asked, not even trying to hide her exasperation. "Do you know what time it is? And who are you talking to, anyway?"

"To Aunt Daphne" the girl replied, feeling no evasions would help now.

"What Aunt Daphne?"

"The one from Coolsville. She said you once were friends..."

"Give me the phone" Maggie demanded. Her niece didn't dare protest. "Hello?" the woman said, putting the phone to her ear.

"Hi... Sugie" a gentle voice responded.

"Daphne Blake-Jones...!" Maggie exclaimed, trying not to do it too loud. "You know I hate that nickname...! What's going on, actually? Why does Rose call you secretly almost in the middle of the night?"

At the other end of the line, Daphne sighed softly. This was going to be a long conversation...

"As you can see, the stakes are high, but the goal is noble" Daphne said a few minutes later, having ended presenting her plan to Maggie. "The only question is... will you help us?"

"Sure. I've been telling him since long ago that he should find somebody. I'll talk to him about it in the next few days."

x

"I knew I'd find you here" Maggie said the next day, entering the living room, where her brother was sitting on a couch and looking through an album with his wedding photos.

"Reedy? 'Ow did you?" Shaggy asked, without looking up. (Tr.: _Really? How did you?_)

"Ever since Mary Jane died, you watch these pictures every year. And don't think I don't know you're crying. I can hear you have a stuffy nose."

"I cad't 'elb it" the man muttered.

His sister sighed heavily and handed him a box of tissues.

"Clear your nose, and then repeat the last sentence" she ordered. "Your crying makes you talk too slurry to understand."

"I can't help it that I'm crying" Shaggy confessed, having blown his nose. "Mary shouldn't have died back then; she was so young and beautiful, and kind, and... and..."

"You know how sick she was" Maggie said softly, sitting down next to him and hugging him tightly.

"I know" he whined. "But why did she have to die when Rose and I needed her the most?"

"I have no clue" the woman admitted. "Have you thought about remarrying?" she asked after a moment, with some hesitation in her voice.

"No" Shaggy replied flatly. "Mary was unique. I'll never find another woman like her, anywhere. Besides, it's still too early..."

"Have you thought about Rose? After all, she needs a mother. Besides, when Mary Jane died, you were released from your marriage vows. You have the right to fall in love for the second time and to remarry. You'll not betray anyone, if you do..."

"It is a conspiracy or what?" Shaggy asked gruffly. "Yesterday, Dad and Wilfred said more or less the same thing."

"If according to you, 'conspiracy' means that we want the best for you and Rose, then yes" Maggie replied in a hurt voice, rising from the couch and heading for the door. "To be honest, I think it would be good if you found somebody, at least for Rose's sake" she added and left.

x

The following day, as every year, Shaggy and Rose went to visit Mary Jane's grave. Once they left the cemetery, a pretty, blonde-haired woman waved at them. Having recognized her as one of Dad's former employees, Rose barely held back a groan. Oh, no. Not her.

"Hey, Shaggy... I mean, boss" the blonde said, stretching her full lips, painted with red lipstick, in a grin and, at the same time, revealing a straight row of white teeth.

"Hello, Melissa" Shaggy replied, smiling at her.

Uh-oh, this didn't look good. Rose knew very well that her dad had a soft spot for Melissa because she had blond hair, like Mom in the pictures. Worse, Melissa also knew it and had been hitting on Dad; however, we must admit honestly that if it hadn't been for Aunt Maggie, Rose would have had no idea that was the name for all those sweet smiles, cute eyelash fluttering and wearing nice clothes. An interesting thing was that it was all over, when Dad's restaurant went bust...

"I've heard Beade's been arrested" Melissa continued, still smiling charmingly. "Is it true?"

"Yes, it's true. I've already invested the recovered money in a new place."

"Somewhere nearby?" Melissa's tone was now kind of strange.

If Rose were older, she'd have known that the proper adjective in this case was "seductive". Still, she didn't like that this viper (as Aunt Maggie once described her) tried to wrap Dad around her finger; this threatened Aunt Daphne's plan, and called "phoniness" from miles away. The girl felt that she couldn't just leave it at that.

"Dad's new restaurant is in Coolsville" she said before her father could speak.

"Don't you by any chance need some... help?" Melissa asked, brushing a strand of Dad's hair from the vicinity of his left ear.

x

Shaggy felt uncomfortable. First of all, he had the impression he was being seduced for money. Next, Melissa was pretty, yes, but... for some reason, she didn't seem as attractive to him as a few months ago. Moreover, a gesture like the one she'd just done was reserved only for Mary Jane. Though, actually, he wouldn't mind if Velma did the same thing... Wait – what?

"If you want, I can be a waitress at your place, like before... boss" Melissa whispered, smiling flirtatiously and squeezing Shaggy's hand.

"Err... no, thanks" he replied, quickly withdrawing his hand. "I already have enough employees. And you know what? If you're trying to pick me up, give it a rest."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. When I lost everything, you did the same as the others; you turned away from me. Now excuse us, but we have to go."

That said, Shaggy took his daughter's hand and they both headed toward the Rogerses' family home. The man didn't know, however, that before they were out of Melissa's sight, Rose turned her head around for a moment and stuck her tongue out at her.

x

That night, Shaggy couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He had no idea what was going on with him. Why did Melissa suddenly stop being interesting for him, even though she was a blonde, like Mary, and even though he'd even liked her quite recently? For sure, her interest in him depending on his wealth couldn't be the only reason; there had to be other causes... but what? Maybe he just wasn't ready for a new relationship? No; he had to admit to himself that he secretly dreamed of a new life companion. Or maybe the case was how Rose would react? No, wait; after all, she'd sometimes mentioned she wanted to have a mother. So what made the idea about hooking up with another woman seem almost an adultery, even though as Maggie reminded him, being a widower gave him the right to fall in love and get married? Maybe... maybe it just was the matter of Melissa being pushy? He remembered well how Mary Jane captivated him – by her unaffectedness. And, come to think about it, Velma behaved alike; not to mention the quiet heroism, which she'd demonstrated when he was marrying Mary Jane...

Hold it – why did he begin to think about Velma again? Could it be that Wilfred had been right, however, and he, Shaggy, actually had a crush? No way, it was absurd. After all, she wasn't his type. He preferred blondes; otherwise he wouldn't have married Mary Jane, but Velma. But in this case, why he cared so much for not hurting her feelings?

"It's probably because I'd once accidentally broken her heart... Yes, it's definitely this" he told himself.

Since this conclusion seemed very logical to him, he calmed down and soon fell asleep.

x

Over the same period, Velma kept working on her gift for Shaggy – a nicely tailored, emerald manly apron, on which she'd already hand-embroidered the restaurant's logo and was now finishing adding a golden-orange inscription 'The finest investigator among the chefs'.

"Why are you doing this?" Madelyn, who'd been watching her sister for some time, asked at one point.

"What do you mean?"

"This apron. Yes, it's nice, but the shops are full of a variety of designs and colors. So why are you doing it by hand?"

"For two reasons. First, ready gifts are expensive and I can't really afford them. Second, Shaggy deserves something special for all these years when we didn't keep in touch with him."

"Neither did he" Madelyn pointed out. "The last thing he sent us were cards stating that his daughter had been born."

"Maybe you're right, but before he stopped writing to us, we did ignore messages from him, not _vice versa_" Velma replied. "I feel I ought to make it up to him for that now. By the way, do you think he'll like it?"

"Sure; it's clear you've put a lot of heart into it" her sister assured her. "Okay, I won't disturb you anymore" she added, leaving the room.

'A lot of heart'? What an idea! Velma was sure that under other circumstances, she'd just have found a nice gift in a shop and managed to give it to Shaggy before his departure to Plymouth. But on the other hand – for Fred, Daphne, their boys and her family, she'd bought various more or less useful little things; Rose and Scooby had a large bag of candy and a big box of Scooby-snacks waiting for them, respectively. Only in the gift for Shaggy, she'd put so much time and effort. Could it mean that...?

No, wait, stop. Shaggy was just her old friend, whom she hadn't seen for many years; were it not for it, he'd have gotten something normal. It was impossible that she was in love with him again; and even more impossible, that she'd never actually stopped loving him... right?

* * *

><p><strong>As for my thesis, it's not going well. I lack inspiration for writing it. Please pray for me to find it soon.<strong>

**VM**


	9. Ups and downs

**Hi there!**

**After a few months of a break, I come back bearing a new chapter. This time, I can't tell you anything in the foreword, lest I spoil something for you, so...**

**Enjoy!**

**VerMa**

* * *

><p>For Scooby, things were obvious. Shaggy had fallen in love. He acted exactly the same way as when he'd met Mary Jane – he ate as much as a normal human (and for him, it was NOT normal at all!), put on a clean shirt every day, neatly combed his hair, shaved regularly and, judging by the scent intensity, poured onto himself about a gallon of cologne... although the latter could also have something to do with Scooby's sensitive nose.<p>

The only thing worrying the dog was that his master didn't look all that happy. If his hunch was correct and it was about no reciprocity from Velma – and he really didn't think he were wrong – big trouble was ahead. Especially for Daphne, unless she could find a way out of this situation.

One January evening, when Rose was already asleep, Scooby lay down on the quilt, next to his master, staring up at the ceiling, and said:

"Romering's reating rou, right?" (Tr.: _Something's eating you, right?_)

"Me?" the man glanced at the dog and smiled bravely. "Come on. What could possibly eat me?"

Scooby rolled his eyes.

"Rou ran't rool re. Rou rell rin rove, right?" (Tr.: _You can't fool me. You fell in love, right?_)

Shaggy turned to face him and opened his mouth to deny it indignantly, but stopped himself; for he noticed that his dog said almost the same thing as Wilfred, whom he couldn't have heard...

"You really think I could have fallen in love?" he asked softly.

His pet nodded.

"Rit rows" he explained briefly. (Tr.: _It shows._)

"No offense, pal, but that's absurd. Mary was the only woman I loved. There's no other one like she was..."

"Rit roesn't rean rall re rothers rare rorse" Scooby pointed out. (Tr.: _It doesn't mean all the others are worse._)

"Stop beating around the bush, will you?" his master asked angrily, sitting up. "You want to suggest something to me?"

"Radmit rit: rou rell rin rove rith Relma?" (Tr.: _Admit it: you fell in love with Velma?_)

Suddenly, Shaggy felt like he were to sweat.

"Why with her, of all people?"

"Ri ree row rou rook rat rer. Ro, rou rove rer ror rot?" (Tr.: _I see how you look at her. So, you love her or not?_)

"Of course not" Shaggy objected vigorously. "To me, she's just... someone totally special" he finished after a moment in a surprised voice, not quite understanding where that confession had come from.

"Ren rot rare rou raiting ror? Rell rer rat." (Tr.: _Then what are you waiting for? Tell her that._)

"No!" the terrified Shaggy exclaimed. "I'll look like an idiot!"

"Ry?" (Tr.: _Why?_)

"'Cause she stopped loving me a long time ago! She told me this the other day!"

"Row ro rou row rit rasn't ranged?" (Tr.: _How do you know it hasn't changed?_)

"I'm sure it hasn't. If someone hurts Velma, they can hardly regain even her trust" Shaggy whispered sadly. "Let's leave it at that, please."

"Rut..."

"Scoob, I really don't want to talk about it. Besides, it's late. Good night."

x

A few days later, pressed on by Scooby, Daphne took him and the kids to the Malt Shop.

"Things sure are complicating" she admitted after hearing Scooby's report.

"Why?" Chris asked, genuinely surprised. "Your plan's working, right?"

"Yeah" Marty agreed. "Now if only Mr. Rogers tells Mom he loves her..."

"That's the problem" Daphne sighed. "Shaggy, as far as I know him, will be afraid of telling your mom how he feels about her."

"Then maybe Scooby and Rose can persuade him to write to her?" Jenny suggested.

Daphne shook her head.

"If they do, Shaggy could catch on everything, and then all our hard work would be in vain" she said, lost in thought and stirring the raspberry cocktail in front of her with a straw.

"So what will we do now?" Rose asked softly.

"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something; or my name isn't Daphne Jones."

x

Days went by. Despite intensive thinking, Daphne was unable to find a way out of this mess that wouldn't result in revealing her little scheme. It was a really annoying feeling for her, who had already secretly matchmade several couples. However, she wasn't going to ask Fred, Madelyn and Joe for help; her pride wouldn't let her do it, even though in case of failure, she could expect a scolding from Mrs. Dinkley and a mighty tantrum thrown by Scooby.

In early February, since she couldn't think of anything, she decided to use the trick that had always worked. All in all, the old, tested methods are the best, aren't they?

x

Shaggy put his pen down and in a low voice read yet another version of Valentine Day's rhymes, which he'd been trying to create for several hours.

"'Roses are red, violets are blue; like an old dog, I shall be loyal to you. Do give me one kind look right now, or from a bridge I shall jump down'... Say what?! What am I writing!" upset, he crumpled the paper and knocked it to the floor. "If she read it, she'd send me to a madhouse!"

Since this conclusion only deepened his frustration, the man jumped up from his chair, threw himself on his bed, and looking at his deceased wife's photograph, standing on the nightstand, he whispered:

"What's going on? What's happening to me? What the heck did I get myself into?"

The only answer he got was silence... or so he thought. Had he a more sensitive hearing, he'd have heard the heartbeat of his daughter who watched him through the crack between the door and its frame.

x

February 14th finally came; Daphne had been eagerly looking forward to that day. Not only because she was curious to see what Fred would give her on this occasion (he had lovely new cufflinks waiting for him). What thrilled her much more, was the prospect of carrying out her brilliant plan to bring Velma and Shaggy together. She still had one very important call to make; however, it had to wait until Fred went off to work and Chris – to school.

She just hoped her efforts wouldn't turn out futile and Shaggy or Velma would finally start doing it all on their own.

x

That day, Shaggy came to work earlier than usual; for he had a plan, about which Velma couldn't find out too soon. Step one: a special order at a friendly supplier. Step two: a notice on the door. Step three: slip the gift. The latter, however, had to wait until the restaurant got more crowded.

x

Frankly, Velma hated Valentine's Day. Since early February, in all the stores there was hardly anything more than tacky, bright red hearts and kitschy, candy pink cupids with psychopathic smiles. Besides, how could she like the day on which no one had ever sent her even one, be it the cheapest, card, not to mention any flower? The day that meant spending the evening as a babysitter (for the tenth time), while others – even her parents! – were going to the movies or for romantic candlelight dinners?

She secretly hoped that at least Shaggy hadn't given in to this madness. Unfortunately, her illusions were wiped out when she saw the following notice on the restaurant door:

_On Valentine's Day, the restaurant will be closing at 4 p.m._

_Sorry for the inconvenience._

No, really, it looked like the whole world conspired against her today. Although the restaurant was to be closed four hours earlier than usual, it was going to be a long, awful day.

x

"Vel, can I leave the restaurant in your charge for half an hour?" Shaggy asked softly around half past ten.

"Why? Is something wrong?" the worried Velma asked.

Shaggy laughed nervously.

"Only that I ran out of eggplants and eggs."

As soon as he said it, he felt like a schoolboy who had done something wrong; for Velma put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"And you really HAVE TO go get them yourself?" she asked sternly. "Can't you send Henry?"

Shaggy shook his head.

"The local sellers know me by now; but to Henry, they could peddle some junk."

"Then go" Velma sighed. "Just come back quickly. And be careful."

"I'm an adult. You don't have to worry about me... Mother" the amused Shaggy replied, winking at her.

x

About twenty minutes later, Mr. Fielding, Shaggy's most trusty supplier, came to the restaurant.

"Delivery!" he called cheerfully from the doorway, drawing the attention of several entering clients.

Velma looked at him as if he were an alien.

"I thought you used to arrive on Tuesdays; and today is Monday" she said after a moment.

"Mr. Rogers made a special order this morning. Didn't he warn you?"

Velma shook her head.

"Will this man ever stop amazing me?" she muttered. "Oh, well. Whatever it is, please bring it to the back; Norville is out at the moment, and I doubt Henry and Emma know what to do with this."

x

While Mr. Fielding was carrying his products to the back, a short, young man in a courier uniform tumbled inside, carrying quite a big basket of roses, as red as his face. He looked so tired and desperate, that Velma felt sorry for him.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Looking for a... Velma Dinkley" the unfortunate young man groaned.

"You've found her."

"Lucky me" the courier sighed with relief, putting his load on the counter, then slid the woman a piece of paper. "Sign here, could ya, miss?"

"W-what?"

"Well... you're not gonna reject the delivery, are ya?" the young man was worried; he clearly didn't fancy the prospect of carrying the heavy basket back to the car or wherever. "I don't know a gal who wouldn't be happy if she got so many flowers on Valentine's Day."

Velma blushed and looked down.

"I don't celebrate the Valentine's Day" she muttered, embarrassed.

"Well, your fan does" the courier remarked perkily.

"But who could that be?"

"How can I know? I'm just a delivery guy."

x

Meanwhile, Shaggy performed a stunt, of which many secret agents would be proud. Once he was out of Velma's sight, he ran around the building, slipped in through the back entrance and quietly sneaked into the locker room. After casting a quick glance around, he took a small box out of his locker and put it into his coat pocket; then, he slipped out the same way they came in, and went shopping.

When he returned about half an hour later, he learned from Velma that Mr. Fielding had showed up during his absence. Honestly, he wasn't pleased with it; he'd been counting on the delivery commotion to slip the gift without Velma noticing...

Wait – what was that thing standing on the counter? A basket of roses? Oh, zoinks...

"Nice" he remarked casually, touching one of the flowers. "Yours?"

Velma nodded.

"The courier brought them a few minutes ago."

"From whom?"

"I have no clue. I found only this" the woman replied, handing her friend a small piece of paper, folded in half.

Having opened the note, Shaggy saw carefully calligraphed letters, forming the following words:

_"Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,_

_Having some business, do entreat her eyes_

_To twinkle in their spheres till they return."_

— _W. Shakespeare, __**Romeo and Juliet**__, Act II, Scene 2_

_What Juliet was to Romeo_ – _you are to me._

_Love,_

_N._

Oh, great. How his little gift and a rhyme he'd made himself could compete with a mass of roses and a quote from Shakespeare? What had he even been thinking?

"Shaggy, are you okay?" Velma asked, gently poking his arm.

"Yeah" he answered, smiling bravely. "Just a little tired. There's huge crowd everywhere; you'd think Christmas is coming."

"Maybe you need a moment of rest?" Velma's voice sounded concerned. "Can I make you something to drink? Or a sandwich?"

"Thanks, but I don't wanna be a problem to you. I can handle it."

"You're not a problem; besides, you do look tired. Wait here, and in take care of the cash register. Be right back" that said, the woman quickly squeezed the man's shoulders, and disappeared behind the kitchen door.

Shaggy had to honestly admit to himself he didn't understand this all. Why did Velma suddenly start to care about him so much? Not that she'd ignored him before; but he could bet his life that her concern for him was now greater than ever. The question was: why? Could it be that...?

No, wait. Velma definitely didn't love him. She'd told him this openly only a few months ago, hadn't she? Anyway, what did it matter? He didn't love her either...

Oh, yeah? So why did he feel a twinge of jealousy upon seeing the roses? What was the point of fooling himself any longer? Velma had completely turned his head without even being aware of it; and worse, she had a secret admirer, who could afford huge baskets of roses. Frankly, the case seemed lost.

"Oh, zoinks... Am I in trouble..." Shaggy whispered, burying his face in his hands.

x

Velma felt a lump in her throat. She'd seen Shaggy's despaired gesture through the glass pane in the door. She was sure something was troubling her friend. But what? Could Valentine's Day remind him of Mary Jane? Or maybe... maybe someone had broken his heart?

Upon the last thought, a chill went down her body, and her heart sank for a moment. Oh, no. Poor Shaggy. She of all people knew exactly how he had to feel now. And she knew she had to cheer him up. But how?

_Through his stomach to his heart_ – she recalled one of the many pieces of 'wise advice', with which Daphne had tried to motivate her to fight for Shaggy eleven years ago. Actually... the idea wasn't bad. Something would have to be very wrong with Shaggy if a bit of chocolate-and-coffee custard with whipped cream didn't cheer him up. All the necessary ingredients were in the kitchen; it was only a matter of rolling up her sleeves, putting on an apron and getting to work.

"What'cha doin'ere, ma'am?" the surprised Henry asked suddenly. "Where's da boss?"

"At the counter; he's tired and seems a little sad. Chocolate-and-coffee custard with whipped cream should brighten him up... Will you help me prepare it?"

"Sure thin', ma'am!" Henry saluted and hurried toward the refrigerator.

x

After a while Shaggy pulled his hands off his face and took a deep breath. Keep calm. Velma's secret admirer may have been rich, but hadn't yet had the courage to show up. So maybe not all was lost yet.

Straining his ears, the man heard bits of conversation, coming from the kitchen. Velma was busy. Great. Now he just had to reach into his coat pocket, take out the gift and place it on the counter, next to the roses...

"What are you doing, boss?" Emma asked, carrying dirty dishes, collected from one of the tables, to the kitchen.

Shaggy turned red like a tomato.

"It's for Velma" he muttered, feeling like a child caught on eating the jam. "But don't tell her it's from me, okay?"

"You got it, boss" the amused girl assured him.

x

Velma breathed a sigh of relief when Shaggy quickly swallowed his custard and dashed to the kitchen. Whatever bothered him, hadn't affected his appetite, and that was already a good sign.

Then, her attention was caught by a not too big box with a bow, lying next to roses, although she could swear it hadn't been there before. Curious, she reached for it. It was a box of Belgian chocolates; some of the best and most expensive, to be exact. After a while, the woman spotted also a piece of paper with her name, attached to the bow, so she turned it around. On the backside was the following rhyme:

_Roses are red, violets are blue,_

_Your smile has enchanted me._

_Wanting to see it on your face,_

_To you, the chocolates box I give._

_But do know: although they taste great,_

_To me, the sweetest one is you._

There was no signature. However, it seemed the chocolates didn't come from the same person who'd sent the flowers. Velma found it at least suspicious. Throughout her life, she hadn't gotten even a mere Valentine card, and now all of a sudden, TWO admirers were sending her gifts? What was this all about?

x

With the restaurant closed and Henry and Emma gone home, Shaggy walked up to Velma and, trying to look casual, asked:

"Got any plans for tonight?"

"Yes; the Anti-Valentine's Night" Velma said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Anti-Valentine's Night? What's that?"

"Taking care of the kids while others go for romantic dinners for two. Don't get me wrong: I like children, but spending every Valentine's Day as a babysitter is depressing."

"And what would you say if..." at this point, Shaggy slightly hesitated "if Rose, Scooby and I joined you?"

"Actually, why not?" Velma smiled. "Jenny and the boys really like you... and Scooby" she added quickly, with a little flush.

"And Rose totally loves you" said Shaggy, with tender smile looking at his blushing friend. He liked seeing her in moments like this, when the somewhat bitter woman, wounded by life, became a sweet, innocent girl again.

"I know" Velma giggled. "She'd told me that once."

x

This year's Anti-Valentine's Night was different than all the previous ones. Mainly because for the first time, Velma wasn't the only one to be over ten years old. Secondly, to the children's delight, the party wasn't held at home, but in the restaurant. Thirdly, as it turned out, Shaggy had a surprise in store: after taking everyone to the kitchen, he took out of the fridge a big ball of dough, quickly made it in a round pie and allowed the children to put any components. As for Velma, knowing what to expect from the Rogerses and not wanting the final result to cause indigestion in someone, she discreetly advised Rose against decorating the whole thing with chocolate sauce.

"What do we do now?" Jenny asked once the only remains of the pizza were some crumbs.

"I know! Let's play cowboys!" Marty called.

"No way" his mom told him. "You won't be scaring Jerry and the girls."

"How about we go spy on the Mole Men?" Chris asked with hope.

"But... they don't exist" Jenny remarked.

"Sure they do! That's what says the 'National Exaggerator'!"

"Your mom says there's pure nonsense in there..."

"No way! She never said so!"

"Then maybe knights?" Marty negotiated, completely ignoring Jenny and Chris's fight.

"Or tag" suggested Rose, quiet up to that point.

"No" Velma replied firmly. "I don't want any of you to get hurt."

"I know!" Jenny exclaimed suddenly. "Let's play hide and seek!"

"Who's seeking?" Chris asked, forgetting about their fresh argument.

"Mr. Rogers!" the girl replied merrily, grabbing Shaggy's hand and sweetly looking him in the eye. "Right, sir?"

The man laughed softly.

"Yeah" he assured. "But let's get one thing straight: I'm no Mr. Rogers. Call me Uncle Shaggy... or just Shaggy."

Meanwhile, Rose walked over to Velma and pulled her hand.

"Can I call you just Velma?" she asked softly.

"Of course, darling" the woman whispered back, hugging the girl and kissing her forehead.

x

Days went by. Velma no longer had any doubt: Shaggy was unlucky in love. She could see it in his sad, hazel eyes and forced smile; she could hear it in his soft, melancholic sighs, which he'd sometimes heave in the locker room when he thought no one was nearby. Poor Shaggy... She'd give anything to have him back like he'd used to be...

And as for this woman, because of whom he suffered, she'd most preferably strangle her with her bare hands. How dared she break the heart of such a good, kind guy? How dared she?!

These and similar thoughts were on her mind almost constantly, making her lose sleep, appetite and zest for life. All the more that with each passing day, Shaggy seemed more and more unhappy; and this caused her such a pain as if someone repeatedly stabbed her with a knife right in the heart...

Wait – that feeling was familiar. She'd experienced it for the first time... about twelve years ago. The epiphany was so sudden that she unwittingly dropped the pen she held in her hand.

"No, that's nonsense" she whispered. "I couldn't possibly have..."

She didn't dare finish her thought. What if...? No. Enough. She couldn't get sentimental over herself; she had to comfort the poor Shaggy somehow.

If she only knew how to do it!

x

Shaggy was indeed unhappy. Not only did Velma not notice his long glances and other small signs he was giving her (oh, where was her earlier sleuth perspicacity!); she began looking like her own shadow again. She'd become sad, pale, slightly slimmer and seemed permanently tired. What if she was very sick and tried to hide it for Marty's sake? Or worse, had no clue about it?

The man blacked out for a moment. Almost nine years ago, death had taken away his Mary Jane. He hadn't gone crazy with despair only because he'd had to take care of his baby daughter. But if he lost Velma now, he most probably wouldn't survive it.

He had to help her somehow, he was sure. He couldn't idly watch the suffering of the person he cherished. If he only knew what to do!

x

Daphne felt like banging her head against the wall. It was a nightmare. She'd hoped that the flowers which she'd sent to Velma on Shaggy's behalf on Valentine's Day would get these two closer to each other. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. Shaggy broke down because he assumed Velma already had an admirer; and Velma, upon seeing it, almost got depressed, which only aggravated Shaggy's despair. That way, each of them unknowingly hurt the other and then suffered because of it. And it would be enough if either of them dared to tell the other out loud about their feelings; for everyone could see they were head over heels in love with each other; everyone except themselves, that is.

It wasn't even a nightmare. It was a complete disaster. Daphne had to admit to herself that if this kept up, she would have no choice but to swallow her pride, tell everything to Fred, Madelyn and Joe and ask them for help.

x

Mrs. Dinkley couldn't help but notice something was bothering her elder daughter. Moreover, she was almost sure it was related to Daphne playing matchmaker. However, she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She had to talk to both Velma and Daphne. But how to do it to not have them find her nosy?

x

Fred couldn't idly watch the suffering of a relative or a friend for a long time. Especially when it came to someone from the old gang; in this case, to Velma and Shaggy, who, thanks to Daphne's efforts, fell in love, but refused or were unable to admit it. Who knew why? Perhaps they feared rejection? Or didn't accept that what they felt was love...?

Actually, it wasn't all that important. What mattered, was that for the time being, they were in love and unhappy. And since Daphne's increasingly anxious behavior showed that the situation started overwhelming her, it was necessary for him to step in.

After a short deliberation, he decided that first of all, he had to have a sincere, manly talk with Shaggy.

x

Sensing his cheeks burn like fire, and a cold sweat run down his neck, Shaggy lowered his head and stared at a barely touched glassful of beer in front of him. All to avoid the piercing gaze of Fred, sitting across the table.

"I? In love? With Velma?" he murmured after a long moment of silence. "Come on. Why do you think that?"

"You're talking to a retired amateur detective" Fred reminded him. "Besides, you act almost the same way as when you met Mary Jane. Putting two and two together isn't that hard."

"So why doesn't Velma see my signals?" Shaggy burst out.

"How can you be so sure? You know what she went through. Maybe she's just afraid the same thing will happen?"

"No way! Velma's not a coward, unlike me..."

Fred put his elbow on the table and his head on the hand, and looked at his friend with a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.

"Get a grip, man. She's human, just like you. Rather than making excuses, you better talk to her."

"And if she rejects me?"

"You'll have two options. Either you'll fight like a man to win her heart, or you'll back out like a total moron and whine for the rest of your life about no one loving you."

x

Daphne removed her hands from her face and took a few deep breaths. Okay. Calm down. Maybe not all was lost. After all, as Marty reported to her, on Valentine's Day, Velma had gotten not only flowers, but also chocolates. If her feminine intuition wasn't wrong – and Daphne really doubted it were – the chocolates had been from Shaggy.

In fact, come to think about it, situation didn't look THAT bad. Shaggy and Velma were in love, it was more than certain. Now they only had to be persuaded to reveal how they felt. But how to do it?

x

"Please, tell me you didn't do anything thoughtless" Mrs. Dinkley firmly grabbed Daphne by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

Daphne blinked. No way. That was the last thing she'd expected.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Dinkley. I've got everything under control" she said casually.

"Are you sure?" the older woman didn't look convinced. "For a few weeks now, Velma's been very upset..."

"Because she and Shaggy are unspeakable fraidy-cats!" Daphne exclaimed. "They're head over heels in love, but neither will admit it!"

"How can you know that?"

"I saw the note Velma got with the chocolates on Valentine's Day. There are few guys who could turn a popular poem in a sixain with both alternate and enclosing rhymes. And I'm ready to bet both my engagement and wedding rings that Shaggy is among men. And Velma behaves just like over eleven years ago."

"And that's what worries me. I don't want her to go and throw herself into the arms of some Casanova who promises her a bright future, because of a broken heart. She's already suffered enough in her life."

Daphne briefly lowered her eyelids and took a deep breath; then, she looked into her friend's mother's concerned, gray eyes. Less than nine years ago, she still wouldn't understand most of the other woman's points; now, however, being a mother herself, she needed no explanations to know exactly why Mrs. Dinkley had begun this conversation so... harshly, at least by her standards. She just wanted Velma to be happy.

"No, really, don't worry" Daphne said gently. "As soon as I can convince one of them to tell the other how they feel, it will go smoothly."

"I hope you're right" Mrs. Dinkley sighed. "You know how stubborn Velma can be; and it looks like a family thing..."

"But I did succeed with Madelyn" Daphne grinned.

x

There were times when Rose quite seriously considered telling her father about Aunt Daphne trying to matchmake him with Marty's mom. She was afraid, however, that Dad would then break the contact both with Aunt Daphne, and with Miss... with Velma, that is. Still, it hurt her when she looked at his sadness, and heard Scooby try to comfort him almost every night.

Thus, she was more than happy upon noticing that after going with Uncle Fred to the bar, Dad brightened up a lot. Since she didn't want to risk exposing Aunt Daphne's plan, she asked Scooby to find out what Uncle Fred had done to make Dad behave almost like before. Granted, Scooby was unable to get the details, but it looked like Uncle had made Dad man up with a serious, manly talk.

She just hoped Dad would now finally dare tell Velma he loved her; because frankly, she was already a bit tired with pretending she knew nothing about it all for such a long time.

x

It was Sunday, May 8. Around 4 p.m., a dark red sports car with Alabama license plates was going slowly along one of Coolsville's quieter streets. The driver, a black-haired, quite handsome man in his late thirties, was apparently close to his destination and afraid of missing it. Eventually, however, the vehicle stopped in front of one of the houses. The driver got out, stretched, pulled a notebook out of his pocket; he then opened it and compared the noted down address with the number, written neatly on the mailbox. There could be no mistake. Besides, the name, written under the number, matched as well.

Now he just had to knock or ring the doorbell. Against all appearances, this was the hardest task – for the house belonged to the parents of the girl (well, WOMAN as of now), from whom he'd run away more than ten years ago, upon learning he'd be the father of her child. He wondered if she'd actually had it. And if she had – was it a girl or a boy?

Pondering over this all, the man never realized how he'd come up to the door.

"Sink or swim" – he thought, pressing the bell.

Inside the house, he heard a patter, and soon, a little girl with green eyes and long, dark brown hair, put in a ponytail, showed up in the doorway. She looked so much like the girl... the woman he was looking for that he had no doubt: the child before him was his daughter.

"Who are you?" the kid asked after a long pause.

The man hesitated. He couldn't tell her the whole truth immediately, because he was not able to predict her reaction...

"An old friend of your mom" he replied at last. "Can you call her over?"

"Mooommaaa! It's for you!" the girl screamed, with a corner of her eye still observing the newcomer.

Shortly after, a dark-haired, bespectacled woman appeared in the hallway.

"Yes?" she said calmly. It was like she didn't recognize him... or as if they'd never met.

In fact... he also had a feeling of seeing her for the first time in his life. Oh, what a mess.

"Sorry, I guess I'm at a wrong address..." he stammered, trying to back out.

"And who are you looking for?" spoke another, deeper voice.

Behind the woman's back stood a tall, balding man, about sixty years old. He looked familiar... oh, dammit! The stranger's eyes widened in fear, because he realized he was standing face to face with the man from whose wrath he'd fled years ago.

Almost at the same time, the host recognized him as well. His face changed with rage.

"YOU!" he yelled, grabbing the stranger's shirt and unceremoniously throwing him off the porch's steps. "Get away! I don't want to see you here ever again! AWAY!"

After the last exclamation, the door was slammed shut with a bang. Well... it seemed that the relationship with his would-be father-in-law wouldn't be all that friendly.

* * *

><p><strong>As always, I'm looking forward to the feedback. What you did and didn't like? Are there any errors I need to correct? :)<strong>

**See you next time – hopefully after I've completed my BA thesis, because frankly, I've been kinda dragging it all summer!**

**VM**


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